The Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Scripture:
1 Peter 5:1-4
Matthew 16:13-19
Reflection:
"Tend the flock of God in your midst." 1 Peter 5: 2
Don’t you wish sometimes that you could help a whole lot of people or do you wish that your life could make a really big difference in the world? Or maybe we think we’re supposed sell everything we have and move to the slums of India to become holy. But this scripture tells us that there is a flock to tend to right in our midst.
I was a stay-at-home mom for 25 years raising 4 children. All around me women were going back to college and getting jobs outside of the home (even when they didn’t need to financially). Society was telling us that we needed to use our full potential and that to be fulfilled, you had to have a career. My youngest son came home one day from kindergarten and said, "Why don’t you have a job Mommy? Are you stupid?" Actually, I have a college degree, and I could have gotten several jobs, but I felt and still feel that one of the most important jobs in the world is raising children; giving them a firm foundation and providing a stable home life for them. I know that I was most fortunate to be able to stay home, but it was also a choice that Jim and I made to go against the flow at the time.
Some people do go to other countries to minister, but most of us need to look closer to home. Our own family first, but then look around you and you’ll see them: the lonely woman who lives next door to you… the young, single mother of three who goes to the same mass as you… the person at work who makes you crazy… the tattooed teen with all the piercings…your pastor… the neighbor kid who always seems to be in trouble. You may not be called to help each one, but you are called to help someone. We all belong to a flock that needs tending. Let’s pray that we can keep our hearts open so that the Lord can use us to be a blessing to those He places in our midst.
Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Janice also leads women’s retreats and recently wrote her first book: God Speaks to Ordinary People – Like You and Me. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicecarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected].