Are You On Target?

 

  I just got back from a nice vacation with my kids in the mountains.  We needed to drive through the night, and I had mapped out the town and church we would stop at in order to celebrate Sunday Mass.  As it turned out we were right on schedule.  We arrived in the church parking lot 15 minutes before 8:00 Mass at an old southern church, the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.  “Perfect ,” I thought to myself, “We are right on target.”
 I thought about this after Mass as we got into the car to continue a few more hours to our resort. If only being right on target with your faith could be this easy. But being “on target “ with God has a lot more to do than just showing up for Mass on time.  God has something to say to each of us. The Gospels aren’t just nice stories.  They contain incredible insight to deepen our faith.  When listening to the gospel put yourself inside the story. Sometimes we may find we are the leper in need of healing, sometimes we are the Pharisee that is quick to judge, sometimes we are the tax collector consumed with money and possessions, sometimes we are the lost sheep searching for the right path, on our best days we are Simon of Cyrene helping Jesus carry the cross.
 If we are honest with ourselves, we know that our target must be God’s Kingdom and not just somewhere close by. We have to shoot for the bullseye. Our faith is more than a set of rules to follow, it is more than blessings and physical healings, and it is more than living a comfortable life.  It is an arrow of truth and love and sacrifice. It is an arrow we must treasure and carefully aim every day. Our arrow is capable of hitting the target not because of our own merit and skills, but because we put our trust in the Good Shepherd and learn to love His flock the way He did. 

-Susan