We are lame.
But we have the magisterium, a pope, priests, the Eucharist, schools, hospitals, and missions.
But do we have love. Are we fleshy? Rigid structure paralyzes. Love gives freedom.
Those possessions that end in this life. We are blessed by many things including those and many others, but they are not meant to be idolized. Yes, they are part of us, but they do not define us in totality.
No one or no entity owns God, controls God, or perfectly know Gods way.
Who are we with? We have all we need yet we sit at the side of the pool lame and unable to walk. Look at the evidence. We are more like the early Romans than the first disciples. We love pleasure, excesses, and earthly conquests. We are paralyzed to let go of these possessions to instead seek souls. Look at the evidence. Look at our behavior.
All those possessions weigh us down with the do it ourselves self made pride. Could we be trusted yet with a flourishing church? Not likely. We would claim our great expertise and write books glorifying ourselves.
What we need is faith, hope, and love. What we need is to be fleshy again. Vulnerable, humble, generous, sacrificial, and repentant. So everything not of the western world.
We are too proud to admit being lame. We have become gods of our own pride, ego, and self preservation.. Where is our repentance and humility?
So rigid and stuck from our atrophy. Lord, make us fleshy and flexible. Release us from our bonds of self inflicted limitations.
Lord we are where we must go, except only in a different disposition. The mission field is where we daily live and breathe. It’s our hardness of heart that is lame. Our hearts have died. Revive us like Lazarus. Heal our hearts to beat again with the flesh we receive in you. Lord heal our lame disposition. Fleshy souls viewing and responding with the tender compassion of your spirit living in us. Please Lord. May your love be known and shared in charity. Not possessed but lavishly given away.
From the depths of our longing and sacrifice we plea to hear our call for your will in us. We thank you and bless you Lord for all these graces that you have in store for us. Release the bonds, heal the lame, rescue us from our captivity, and send invigorated disciples in your name from the most unlikely but faithful stewards. Lord, unleash the Holy Spirit upon us if it be your will. You are welcome here. We desperately need you now and forever. In your holy name silence and bind all sources and spirits of darkness in our midst that we may most properly receive your graces. Shape and conform us so we may no longer be lame in our faith.