Unlikely Missionaries

 

Welcome back to our Lenten Journey. and welcome to today’s guest author is Jennifer Fitz.

Jennifer Fitz is a homeschooling mom of four, catechist, writer, and accountant.  She manages the Catholic Writers Guild blog, and writes on her personal blog, jenniferfitz.wordpress.com.

Please read and ponder her story. As always please feel free to let us know what you think in the comment section below.

God Bless,

Christina Weigand

 

Woman at the well

Jesus and the Woman at the Well

Many Samaritans of that town had believed in him on the strength of the woman’s testimony when she said, ‘He told me all I have ever done’, so, when the Samaritans came up to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed for two days, and when He spoke to them many more came to believe; and they said to the woman, ‘Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the savior of the world.’  John 4:39-42.

 

Jesus arrives at the well in the Samaritan town — tired, thirsty, and in search of a missionary.  Take a look at her qualifications:

 

  1. She is surprised Jesus would even speak to her. (Jn 4:10)
  2. Jesus proposes eternal life, and she thinks, “Indoor plumbing.  Hallelujah!” (Jn 4:15)
  3. She’d been married five times – likely a history of repeated divorce and remarriage. (Jn 4:18)
  4. She is currently shacked up with a boyfriend.  (Jn 4:18)
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She’s not exactly walking off the page of that vocations poster tacked up on your parish bulletin board.  But Jesus meets her where she is – spiritually out of sorts, physically work-weary herself.  Through a gradual back-and-forth, He draws out of her the makings of a missionary:

 

  1. She’s waiting for a coming Messiah, and expresses a firm belief that he will certainly come.  (Jn 4:25)
  2. Realizing she may indeed be meeting the Christ, she drops everything and calls her neighbors to come see.  (Jn 4:28-29)
  3. Her testimony brings others to faith in Christ.  (Jn 4:39)
  4. Her neighbors then not only come to see Jesus, they beg Him to stay, learn from Him for two days, and end by acknowledging He is indeed Savior of the world. (Jn 4:40-42).

 

An entire village of Samaritans – people the Jews didn’t even speak with – were converted to Christ thanks to the missionary work of the woman at the well.

 

In his two days with the Samaritans, no doubt Jesus broached the same thorny topics that came up among the Jews – divorce and remarriage included.  Jesus meets us where we are not to leave us in our sins, but to deliver us from them.  Heaven is not full of wretched sinners God has agreed to tolerate for eternity – it is full of former sinners, now made holy, pure, complete.

 

In the meantime, it’s a little embarrassing.  Someone’s got to volunteer for the parish committees, teach the catechism class, pick this week’s hymns, write the message in the bulletin.  And who does Jesus have to call on?  Just us.  Dopey, clueless, sinful us.

 

May the Lord find us in the pews even half as ready as the Samaritan woman was that day at the well.  Waiting on the Messiah, ready to be shown our errors, ready to do His bidding and bring others to Him.

Focus on the Good

 

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

My husband and I argued yesterday. My hopes for an attitude of gratitude and peace in our household flew right out the window. I was failing at on my Lenten journey. I wasn’t doing enough to embrace this new attitude.

I watch a video on Facebook about marriage. The speaker mentions this passage in relation to the marital relationship. God whispers and the light bulb goes off. I hadn’t failed, I just hadn’t taken things far enough. The attitude of gratitude is great, but it is even better when accompanied by looking at and embracing the positive things in my life. Throughout the argument I was guilty of looking for all the things I found wrong with Al and I never took the time to look at the other things, the things I fell in love with, the good things about him.

My attitude, my perspective was in the wrong place and because of that Satan found an opening and took advantage of it. I practically opened the door and welcomed him in. Thank goodness God was there to pull me back.

Anyway the moral of the story: When I focus on all the things that make me angry, make me hate, make me wonder why I ever married this man, had these children or made any of my life choices; when I focus on the negative, I give Satan the opening he needs to get in. And I do have to open that door, he cannot get in on his own. Just like Eve in the Garden of Eden, when I engage the devil he pushes the advantage. He won’t hold back and say “Are you sure you want to do this.” Instead he will go straight for the jugular and when it’s all over you won’t know what hit you.

When we focus on what is good; in our spouses, our children, our lives, when we let God in first the atmosphere of God’s peace and love will prevail. There will be trials and days like yesterday when I was ready to walk out the door on my life and marriage, but keeping God in front of me, beside me and behind me, by being thankful, by focusing on the positive, by forgiving, the end of the journey will be worth it. I won’t be left bleeding in the darkness wondering what happened.

Question:

In fact, sitting still is not a big problem, the problem needs to cialis 5mg sale learningworksca.org be properly and accurately diagnosed. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1998;21(8):511-519. http://www.learningworksca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/dropout-report.pdf sildenafil generic viagra 4. ED measure buy viagra from india and relief with Kamagra 100mgED measure can be timely formatted with erectile solution Kamagra. Reactions: Migraine, flushing, stuffy/runny nose, or discombobulation may happen. purchase generic cialis Are there things in my life that I look for and find all the negative, all the things to hate? Do I only consider these things in my response to God and others? How can I change my perspective and find the things that are good and positive, that will bring me closer to God?

Please share your stories in the comments below.

Prayer:

Most awesome and powerful Jesus, forgive me for my anger and my limited perspective. Help me to look beyond what I see as weaknesses and failings in myself and others. Help me to see what is true and good and beautiful in my life and the lives of those around me. Thank you Lord for all the gifts you have given me, especially the gift of words so that I may share You and Your message with the world. Thank you for my family, especially my husband. May we as we travel these perilous paths find You in each other and open our eyes to all that is good and beautiful in each other and the world around us. This I pray through your most loving and merciful Son, Jesus and His blessed mother, Mary. Amen

All for the Glory of God,

Christina Weigand

PS Be sure to stop in tomorrow for the next Guest Author post in our Lenten Journey.  You can check out Jennifer Fitz on her blog http://jenniferfitz.wordpress.com as well as here tomorrow.