Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

3rd Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2003)

Suggested Emphasis

"What should we do?"

Salesian Perspective

The crowds asked John the Baptizer: "What should we do?"

Such a simple question. Such a challenging question. Such a potentially life-changing question.

You and I live in a world in which the coming of Christ has already occurred. However, this world in which we live is also a place in which the possibilities of that coming have yet to be completely - and forever - fulfilled.

What should we do? Try to fulfill it by sheer force of human will? Should we just shrug our shoulders and hope for the best?

The answer for us is the answer that John offered to the crowd two thousand years ago: "Be generous; do your job justly; don't exact from others more than they should - or can - give." In short, following the Will of God, following the example of Jesus, cooperating with the promptings of the Spirit is not about doing more, doing extra. It's not about embracing a different vocation. It's not about being someone other than who you already are. It is about doing more with the life that you are already living, and doing more with who you are in ways that give life, justice and peace to others.

Francis de Sales firmly believed this. He cautioned against jumping to the conclusion that following Jesus, walking with Jesus and being Jesus for others requires that we do extra. Francis said clearly and succinctly: "Be who you are. Be that well."

We want a world that more perfectly reflects the peace, the hope, the reconciliation, the justice and righteousness of the Kingdom of God. We want a world that more clearly embodies the fulfillment of the promise given to us in Jesus. We want a world in which we can get a taste here and now of the banquet that awaits us forever in heaven.

No small enterprise.

What should we do? Be generous. Do our jobs; live our lives justly. Do not take or expect from others more than they should - or perhaps cannot - give.

Be who you are. Be that well. Be who, what, why and how God creates, redeems and inspires you to be: joy to the world; joy to yourself; joy to others.

And change the world - even a small part of it - in the process.

Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center at Childs, MD.