(Optional)
Memorial of St. Katharine Drexel, virgin
(I Peter 1:3-9; Mark 10:17-27)
Disciples are, it might be said, drafted by Jesus. They receive a calling and are expected to present
themselves promptly. Jesus himself distinguishes
this summons from the military draft. He
provides the companionship which is of far greater value then gold. Unfortunately, the man in the gospel reading
today fails to recognize this fact and retreats at Jesus’ beckoning.
St. Katharine Drexel, whose feast day is celebrated
today, eagerly responded to a similar call.
Born into a wealthy family in the nineteenth century, Katharine entered
the convent when she was thirty.
Eventually, she founded her own congregation dedicated to assisting
native- and African-Americans. She used
her substantial inheritance for this purpose.
Most of us want to live normal lives. We hope to have a family, a house and a car, plus
some expendable income for McDonald’s or maybe Olive Garden. Few, in the United States at least, would
call these expectations ambitious. But
Jesus may be summoning us to something else.
Like the man in the gospel and St. Katharine Drexel, he might be calling
us to follow him in a radical way. If we take up the
offer, we may not sleep quite as comfortably as others, but we are more likely
to thank God when day is done.
