The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
I had just recently “reconverted” back to my Catholic faith in my early years of college when one of my roommates began to take notice. He was not raised in a Christian home and saw something changing in me that caused his heart to stir. He wanted to know more. He asked me what this whole “God thing” was about. We conversed, but in one of my more regretful moments, I did not invite him into the Catholic Church. I recommended he start elsewhere, somewhere that I felt would be a “softer landing.” I had grown up in the Catholic Church, and it felt right to me, but for some reason felt too rigid to introduce to a newcomer. Sadly, I was immature in my faith and worried about what he might think of Catholicism, so I steered him to something “easier.”
Reflecting on this event frequently over the years, I know that I let my own personal fears and insecurities get in the way of what the Lord was trying to do with me. Fortunately, the upside of this encounter is that my former roommate has a relationship with Jesus to this day. Nonetheless, I constantly think about how I would handle that situation differently now (and hope I have in the years since). Much like John the Baptist in today’s Gospel reading, God simply asks each of us to prepare the way for Him. We don’t have to say the perfect words. We don’t have to quote the perfect scripture passage. And we definitely should not be scared of God’s ability to reveal Himself to anyone through the beauty of the Catholic Church. He can do the heavy lifting, we just have to make the introduction.
John the Baptist certainly wasn’t concerned about what people thought about him, and neither should we. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and when He wants to use us it is our job to simply say, “here am I." If we truly desire God’s mercy and salvation to reach the ends of the earth as we hear today, like it or not, we have a role to play in making that happen." Let’s pray today for strength for Christians everywhere to share the gospel message without fear or hesitation.
Lord Jesus, You are the potter and we are the clay.
Nick Balser is a husband, father, and finance professional just trying to do God’s will each day. Nick works for Undivided Life in Dallas, TX. Through strategy and culture consulting and small business ownership, Undivided Life helps organizations and professionals see work through the lens of Catholic social teaching and use business as a blessing.
