Jesus is calling us to a new way of life that demands much of us, that we devote our lives to Him as the primary focus.
I remember hearing these reading at the Mass on the Grass held at St. Teresa's during my college years, when we had Mass outside. And at the outdoor Mass at Ascension Parish this weekend, I heard them again, including the once every three year proclamation of a reading from Philemon.
It was from that reading that Father Hurlbert noted that God doesn't force us to obey Him: He gives us the option to freely choose Him. We grapple with what it costs us so that we may have strength of character and faith to follow after Him, persevering in those demands, knowing He makes a way for us, and prospers the works we do by faith, so that we can live with purpose and meaning. It is like Mary, who Nativity is today: She said "Yes" to God's plan and fulfilled a significant role in God's plan.
It is also like those first Spanish settlers who came ashore on September 8, 1565, and when they founded St. Augustine, Florida, they celebrated Mass to demonstrate their thanksgiving and devotion to God. From that first Mass in the present-day United States, we continue to offer thanksgiving as a sign of devoting our lives to Him.
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