Feast of St. Luke, evangelist

Today's Mass Readings

St. Luke’s feast day got me thinking about Fr. Lukas Etlin, a certain good monk from my religious community. He is the only monk who had a cause for canonization open for Conception Abbey. He was a chaplain and confessor and he painted the mural of the Immaculate Conception in the Abbey’s Basilica. He was on track to become a saint, but he committed the most unpardonable offense that one could commit in a monastery—he tried to change something.

All joking aside, the call to go on mission for the Lord is quite lovely and beautiful. Discipleship is an invitation to the friendship of God, amicitia Dei. We would be lost without it. It is not enough to simply know God and to worship God. The invitation is to true friendship with our Creator. How blessed we are. What can we do other than to share that friendship? When someone has true faith, it is enviable. Faith expressed in its best form is natural and joyous. We want to follow someone who is truly in love with God. You cannot avoid it. This is caught and not taught, given and not bought or earned. When we find friendship with God, it is unavoidable that we will fall in love with the heart of God. This will make every friendship shine with the luster that is God’s abundant grace. Amen.

Lesson: Friendship and trust take much time to build. Our friendship with God is something that God always initiates. He wants to walk with us on our level. We have to choose to let Him form that friendship in our hearts. Take the time to consider how you imagine God. Can you believe that God is authentically your friend? Make the effort to talk to God as though He were an intimate friend. Amen.

Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB