TO BE OR NOT TO BE NOTICED
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
My dear encountered couples:
Fame is grand! But not if you like privacy. Many of the things Jesus did were seen. His words and miracles were reported in the gossip columns. In those days I guess that means by way of the tongue. Everybody wanted to see the man they had heard about, many wanted him to perform a miraculous favor for them. So, everywhere Jesus went he was in demand.
If you like a crowded life, let your good deeds be seen. If you don’t like a crowded life with reporters and groupies you had better do your good deeds secretly. (A groupie is a fan who follows you around.) If you don’t want to be noticed or sought out all the time, then do the good you do without any fanfare.
Jesus certainly did wonderful things we don’t know about. And he often told people to keep his deeds quiet. But he came to earth to be noticed in order to draw people to his Father through himself. His goodness needed to be seen, not for his sake, but for ours.
Whether your good deeds get publicity or not, be assured of this: Not one of them goes unnoticed by God. And he tells everybody in heaven about them. Be prepared to receive a cheering crowd when you walk through the pearly gates. And enjoy it. That sort of fame will really be great!
