He left everything to be His companion

The text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite us into an uncomfortable reflection on how we miss the action of God in Life through our focus on ourselves at the centre. The passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah tells of the authentic Sabbath behaviour that leads to blessing. Friar Jude Winkler explains the difficulties the people who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile had with acting according to the Will of God in their relationships with each other. The restoration of Jerusalem which they felt was deserved as a Divine blessing required living in the manner desired by God. One astonishing element of the text from the Gospel of Luke is the complete abandonment of the previous life of Levi to get up and follow Jesus. This welcome for those outside our comfort zone is the challenge which Jan Schnack finds for her Lent. Friar Jude looks to the entomology of “companion” as “to share bread with” for a powerful guide to our growth in being more like Jesus in our welcome to the outsider. We may be able to journey together to that place where we too can leave everthing to be with Jesus. (See Storified Version)