too, too much
"They found Him altogether too much for them." —Matthew 13:57
The Lord commands us to tithe and calls us to give alms. However, few Christians tithe, and fewer give alms, although many think they are giving alms when instead they are paying only part of their tithe. For most people, the Lord is too much.
Jesus commands us to pray always and not lose heart (Lk 18:1). Doesn't that seem excessive, that is, too much?
We come to the Lord and ask for healing. However, He decides to lead us to repentance, salvation, freedom, evangelization, and ministry in addition to healing. All we wanted was to feel better, but the Lord has all these other things on His mind.
We're content to belong to our parish and to engage in some religious practices. Yet Jesus doesn't seem as content as we are. He tells us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk 12:30), and to sell everything to obtain His kingdom (Mt 13:44-46). Now isn't that going too far and asking too much?
Prayer: Jesus, when I think You are asking too much, may I look at the crucifix.
Promise: "Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel, the pleasant harp and the lyre." —Ps 81:3
Praise: St. Eusebius held to the truth even after being dragged through the streets and imprisoned.
Reference: (To improve from the "too much" to the "not doing enough" for the Lord, read the Bible daily. For encouragement, order any or all of these audio or video tapes: Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ, AV 82-1, V-82, How to Pray the Bible on audio AV 82-3 or on video V-82, How to Read the Bible on audio AV 46-3 or on video V-46, Principles of Bible Interpretation, audio AV 79-1, video V-79.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 4, 2013
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