In many ways, this passage neatly extrapolates on the takeaways of yesterday’s Gospel. Once again, we are forced to ask ourselves “what are the metrics that we use to gauge success in our everyday lives?”. What do we really value? What do we hold most dear? At the end of the day, what really matters to us? Where do we invest our time and emotional currency? What are the relationships and habits we choose to cultivate? Are they rooted in our pursuit of God and our desire for relationship with Him? Or do we spend the bulk of our time and energies pursuing other priorities? Do we really will to will the will of God? How does this play out in the reality of daily life?
These are admittedly tough questions but we can’t shy away from them. It’s nearly impossible to make progress in the spiritual life if we aren’t willing to take an honest look at ourselves and recognize those areas of our lives that are particularly in need of God’s grace and healing. To this end, it’s essential to recognize how intensely God desires union and relationship with every single one of us and that there are no limits to his loving mercy and tender assistance when we sincerely ask for help.