December 6, 2014: The Feast Day of St. Nicholas

The Feast Day of St. Nicholas:

Read It:
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Reflect on It:
Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give...I think sometimes this piece of Scripture trips me up more than any other. Without cost, I'm called to give: of my time, of my life, of all sorts of things....I have been given so much and I should be giving even more. What have you been given without cost?

Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, the harvest is abundant, and the laborers are few. Help me always to give myself to you without counting the cost, because your burden is light and your yoke is easy. Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Today, cross off one item from your Christmas list that you really, really want. Instead give something to someone else.