Contemplating the Gospel

We attended evening mass last night, and my brain is still all wrapped around yesterday's Gospel.  It was from Luke, chapter 14, and it really struck me as having a ton of relevance to our adoption plan.

In it, Jesus said, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple."  As I pondered this quote, I began to think about those of our friends and family who have suggested this task (adopting a little boy who's sick and from another country) is just too hard.  There have been a few, and although I know they are well intentioned, that continues to rub me the wrong way.  After all, we know this will be hard; in fact, that's one of the primary reasons we've chosen to do it.

Father Bob wrote in the church bulletin, "To be a true disciple is costly. Jesus does not want or need superficial disciples. He wants men and women willing to sacrifice, willing to follow all His commands.”  In his spoken and written homily, Bob mentions how we, as a people, have come to relish our comfort and how so many of our choices flow from a desire to maintain that comfort.  "Discipleship demands that in the face of all this we keep our priorities straight. True wisdom is knowing where to put our energies, how to focus our attention, with whom to commit ourselves. It may be demanding but it is not impossible for we are given the grace of God to sustain us."

He's right; it's easy to just say no or ignore the hard work of being a real follower of Christ.  It's way easier to let others do the hard work and make excuses like, "I already have four children; between my two full time jobs, I just won't have time; someone in our family already has a serious health condition; it'll be expensive; we don't speak Amhiric; it'll be physically, mentally and emotionally demanding"

Well, we've decided not to say no.  This is just too important an opportunity to pass up!  True, Tommy needs a family, and we'll do a superb job at that for him.  But equally important is the opportunity that Tommy brings to us; in our comfortable home, with our 3+ meals a day, and virtually limitless freedoms.

Making Tommy a member of our family will change more than just how we appear.  Just think of the lessons he can teach us; about struggling and hardship; compassion and humility; love and commitment; walking a mile in anothers' shoes. I believe God called us to Tommy for our benefit as much as for his.  He needs us for sure.  But God knows we need him just as much.  And like Bob shared in the closing today, "If we make the right choices, our lives will unfold in ways that will enrich us and all those around us. Living in right relationships, thinking of the needs of others not just ourselves, following the straight path, lifting one another up as a brother or sister, is the only way to spend the brief time we have here on earth. Nothing else is really worth it."