return to sender
"Not a single congregation except yourselves shared with me by giving me something for what it had received." —Philippians 4:15
When we receive something from the Lord and from His people, we open an account (Phil 4:17). We need to give something for what we have received. We are responsible to respond. For example, Jesus expected the ten lepers, whom He healed, to respond by returning to Him and thanking Him (Lk 17:17-18). He expects us to do something with what He has given us (see Mt 25:14ff). The Christian life is a matter of loving the Lord "because He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19).
The Christian life is not so much a matter of getting something done but of responding in love and thanksgiving to the One Who has done all that is good. Thus, Christianity is centered on the Lord. Each day, our goal is to please Him. We are living for an audience of one, that is, the One. We do not need to achieve anything by the standards of the world. We do not need to please others (see Gal 1:10). Our lives are for the purpose of responding to the Lord. Each of us must constantly ask himself the question: "How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?" (Ps 116:12) Make a return to the Lord.
Prayer: Father, may I love You back.
Promise: "Make friends for yourselves through your use of this world's goods, so that when they fail you, a lasting reception will be yours." —Lk 16:9
Praise: St. Martin responded to Jesus' love by being imprisoned for his "conscientious objection" to military service.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, April 24, 2000
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 27, 2000