The Seventh Friday of Easter

“Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

As we grow and mature in our faith, we begin to realize we are not always called to live the lives we imagined. Rather we are called to live the lives God wants us to lead, to more fulfilling ones. These lives might be more taxing physically, mentally, emotional, and even spiritually, but they are also more rewarding. They are lives that embody the God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace. We glorify Him best through the following in Jesus Christ’s footsteps and imitating his willingness to sacrifice himself for others. Each and every day, we are given a choice to live either a selfish worldly life or a selfless spiritual life. Hopefully, we choose the latter because it is along the path of self-surrender that we will win victory over the grave and enter triumphantly through the Heavenly Gates.

Are we willing to give God control over our lives? Do we trust Him to lead us to a more fulfilling life? Are we willing to follow Jesus even to the point of death?

O Lord, we stretch out our hands. Lead us where you will.

Amen.