"In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."
Luke 14:33
Yesterday, in my first grade reading group, we had the word "eek!" in a story. Good thing, because I can use it effectively today. Eek! I say, Jesus. This seems a bit harsh, especially to someone like me who has done quite a bit of renouncing possessions in the last couple of years. So I sit and ask myself, what is there left to renounce? It comes to me easily from a book I read last year on retreat. According to St. Francis, we must set down the "purse of our own opinions." Another excellent opportunity to use the word Eek! That is the heaviest purse I own, truly. But what if my opinions are right? Do I still need to set them down? I think we need to hold them very lightly. Have a gentle, loose grip on our own opinions and try not to shove them down anyone else's throat. Don't think just because we are so right that everyone who disagrees with us is wrong. It's a good lesson to have the day after an election, don't you think? The lessons I am learning from St. Francis are to live our opinions instead of just carrying them around in a footlocker. If we live our lives in the manner of our Gospel beliefs, we won't have to say a word, much less preaching our opinions to others or hitting people over the head with them. So, today, let's think about how we can actually live what we believe as followers of Jesus. Let's consider setting down the heavy purse of our own right-ness and just go about our day, living Matthew 25:31-46. Love, heidi
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