Empowered Witnesses

Today's remembrance of St. Matthew the Evangelist can shed some light on the Mark of a Marist Educator (student, and Marist in general) that we are focusing on this year at Central Catholic: to be an empowered witness of the message of Jesus.  Levi himself, a tax-collector and thus lumped into the category of "sinner", was empowered by the gaze and call of Jesus, to leave his shekels and despised role to follow Jesus.  A major change in lifestyle and mission took place, the impact of which came to fruition with the writing of this Gospel, which has kept alive the message and stories of Jesus to this day, empowering it's readers to change their lives as his had been changed.
As Marists, it is important to recall that our own empowerement, resulting from a close, loving  relationship with Jesus, is the first ingredient in empowering others.  In addition to this, to spread the Word effectively, we need to look at our hearers as Jesus looked upon Matthew: outwardly an employee of the hated Roman Empire, and perhaps, as tax collectors then did, a thief who slid some of the squeezed out tax payments into his own pocket, but inwardly bearing the potential to be a staunch apostle and Gospel writer.  Jesus saw into Matthew and called him to become the best version of himself.  If we could see others in light of their best selves, how helpful that would be in empowering them.  Holy Spirit, come to me daily with your insight and grace to transform me into an empowered witness who can, by word and deed, empower others to become witnesses of the Gospel. Amen.
Bro. Rene