Have you signed up for your wokers compensation? … Saturday, February 16

Work. Its called that for a reason. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Rosary Meditation … The Second Glorious Mystery, the Ascension. “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19. Work, pure and simple. Jesus ascends , He leaves, and He leaves us with something to do. Faith without works is no doubt dead in more ways than one. Have you ever considered what the faith would be like if all it consisted of was believing with nothing more involved? “Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble.” James 2:19. We’d be in poor company if it was just about believing and nothing else, wouldn’t we? Maybe Jesus has given us things to do in order to keep us away from just such companionship. Idle hands are the devils workshop. I had a priest tell me once that old sayings get to be old because they’re true. The “idle hands” thing is one of those I’m sure. A Christian without work to do would probably end up a flabby spiritual mess. Now that’s a pretty picture, isn’t it? Ever see an angel depicted as fat? And no, I’m not picking on the weight impaired. I am one of those. I’m just saying that with faith there has to be work to do. Without work we’d loss our focus and our faith with it. So the next time it looks like there’s nothing to do look again. Some ideas: Go on-line and blog, maybe try to touch someone else in a constructive way. Get out the checkbook and re-figure, because even $5 can make all the difference in the world to a person in a third world country. If you’re physically able maybe you could mow the yard for the old lady down the street. She lives alone and is on fixed income and would be glad for both the company and the chance to have the yard mowed without having it cost money she doesn’t really have. Maybe you could go to a restaurant and, if you’re blessed to have a little cash, pay the tab for the couple across the room. Just tell the waitress, give her the money and, without their knowing it, get up and leave. All of this boils down to one thing: There’s more than one way to carry the Gospel. There’s more than one way to share good news.

Today … St. Daniel. Died in 309, He and four companions, Elias, Isaias, Jeremy and Samuel were Egyptians who visited Christians condemned to work in the mines of Cilicia during Maximus persecution, to comfort them. Apprehended at the gates of Caesarea, Palestine, they were brought before the governor, Firmilian, and accused of being Christians. They were all tortured and then beheaded. When Porphyry, a servant of St. Pamphilus demanded that the bodies be buried, he was tortured and then burned to death when it was found he was a Christian. Seleucus witnessed his death and applauded his constancy in the face of his terrible death; whereupon he was arrested by the soldiers involved in the execution, brought before the governor and was beheaded at Firmilian’s order. All of this sounds like work, doesn’t it? That’s because it was and is.

You know … Everything worthwhile takes effort. The most worthwhile thing of all is God’s Gospel. We ought not be surprised when it costs time, money, talent, blood, sweat, and tears. So we might as well get used to it. And remember. As Christians we have the greatest of workers compensation programs.