Excuses

 We have a guest writer today, a recent graduate from the University of Notre Dame, Catherine Russell, whose reflection should touch us all.

I will be on the Junior/Senior Encounter in Contocook, NH till Thursday afternoon.  Am not sure about wi-fi access. but it seems to me, it is available.  If not...keep praying.  No excuses!  (During our last Encounter, Pope Francis was elected. Let's pray for him and for all of us taking TIME to be with God and give him our undivided attention.)
Bro. Rene

Why do we make excuses to spend less time with God?
As of recent, my main excuses have been “I’m too tired” or “I have to catch up on this season of my favorite TV show.” While some reasons are more meaningful than others, such as spending more time with a family member, all excuses stand in the way of us dedicating more time to God.
In today’s passage, the townspeople pushed their invitation to supper aside because they felt that their time was better spent focusing on other commitments. Why do we put our work and daily activities before our time with God? It is easy to forget about God when life is fine and we are moving at a fast pace. When we start to struggle, however, God is right back in the picture.
Making excuses to move away from God is easy to do, especially when life is good and we may think talking to God is not necessary. But what do we gain? We might gain more time focusing on family, friends, work; but less time building a foundation in faith, which could transform these relationships and commitments.
If we continue to make excuses to turn down a relationship with God, we lose the opportunity to open our hearts to grace, which truly builds our souls to spread God’s love into all of our daily activities. Accept today’s invitation to join the feast of God’s grace so that we can draw upon this relationship to exude joy into all other aspects of our lives.

Catherine Russell ‘12