Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 287

Remain in me, as I remain in you....
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

Today's gospel ends with a reminder of what it's all about -- the glory of God. As the Jesuits say, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam (for the glory of God.) 

We may be misled by our own notions of what might add to God's glory, but we should at least remember we're not here, and we're not saved, to suit our own purposes. With that attitude it's a lot easier to stand corrected, as when someone points out my error and I reply, "I stand corrected, and thank you for pruning me!" 

We seek the formative guidance of God's Spirit through prayer, study, meditation, and conversation with other devout souls. The study involves learning spiritual and theological principles, as well as knowledge and love of the saints. Even as we pay attention to the world around us with its innumerable demands, we know that we belong to the Lord and listen for his voice. 

Many churches today are celebrating the memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. The feast was an official response to Communism's celebrations of May Day with its focus on workers. Where Communism glorified the worker and then oppressed them with regimentation and bureaucracies, Catholicism remembered the dignity and rights of workers to organize and demand a living wage, safe working place, and opportunities for advancement. 

Saint Joseph still teaches us to pay attention to what's happening around us. When the magi told him of their experience in Jerusalem, he bolted for Egypt, taking his young wife and their newborn child with them. Several years later, although an angel directed him to return to Bethlehem because Herod had died, he had a bad feeling about his hometown and settled with Mary's people in Nazareth. 

The world is no simpler today. Rather, we find ourselves in an increasingly complex world. Urged to vote in the coming elections, we wonder which party offers the better package for neither intends to serve God or the truth. They know that the consumer gets what the consumer wants, whether it's guns, drugs, alcohol, or abortion.

As Wordsworth complained, 

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

But, like Saint Joseph, we give our hearts to the Lord and listen attentively for his guidance.