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Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - Discerning the Will of God

Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - Discerning the Will of God

Catholic Daily Reflections vor 2 Jahren

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Catholic Daily Reflections

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Short reflections on the Gospel of the day, from My Catholic Life!

Religion & Spiritualität

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As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the
customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and
followed Jesus. Mark 2:14

How do you know the will of God for your life? In his spiritual
classic, The Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola
presented three ways in which we come to know the will of God. (See
mycatholic.life/ignatius for more.) The first way is the clearest
and most definitive way. It is a time in which the person
experiences a “clarity beyond doubting” as a result of a special
grace of God. In describing this experience, Saint Ignatius
mentions the passage quoted above as an illustration of this
experience.

There is little said about this call of Levi in the Gospel of Mark,
which is also recorded in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 9:9). Levi, who
is also known as Matthew, was going about his occupation of
collecting taxes at his customs post. It appears that Jesus spoke
only these two simple words to Levi: “Follow me.” As a result of
these two words, Levi abandons his former life and becomes a
follower of Jesus. Why would Levi do such a thing? What was it that
convinced him to follow Jesus? Clearly there was much more than
just a two-word invitation from Jesus that convinced him to
respond.

That which convinced Levi was a special grace of God which produced
within his soul a “clarity beyond doubting.” Somehow Levi just knew
that God was calling him to abandon his former life and embrace
this new life.

There was no long discussion, no weighing of the pros and cons, no
prolonged thinking about it. Levi just knew, and he responded.
Though this form of clarity in life is rare, it’s important to be
aware of the fact that sometimes God does act this way. This is a
great gift when it happens! And though this depth of instant
clarity is not always the way God speaks to us, it’s important to
acknowledge that God does speak to us this way at times.

Reflect, today, upon this call of Levi. Ponder this inner certitude
he was given in that moment. Try to imagine what he experienced and
what others may have thought of his choice to follow Jesus. Be open
to this same grace; and if you ever feel as if God speaks to you
with such clarity, be ready and willing to respond without
hesitation.

My dear Lord, thank You for calling us all to follow You without
hesitation. Thank You for the joy of being Your disciple. Give me
the grace to always know Your will for my life and help me to
respond to You with total abandonment and trust. Jesus, I trust in
You.

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