Most of us know the story, “The Master has need of it.”
Over the past 40 days we have been given the gift of insight. Insight into the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord and with this insight
one thing becomes very clear. That is that God’s love for us, is Undeniable. The purpose of Lent is to refocus our attention of the scripture and to ask ourselves how we are using this living work to be the best Catholics we can be. This prompts a lot of questions for us all.
So here are a few of the questions I thought about when I heard the words from the story, The Master has need of it. If I were a disciple sent off to procure the colt for Jesus, would I be able to find it? Would the person who owns it give it to me without a fight? Then, even if those two things did happen, would I do with the colt what Jesus asked of me? To do so would require my complete and unquestioning faith and trust in Him. To follow Him even when what he asks does not always make sense to me.
The Master has need of it.
I then asked myself, what if I were the owner of the colt. Would I be greedy and say no to the Master? I mean, what if it was a brand-new colt? What if I had formed an attachment to it? Perhaps I had paid a great sum for it. Why would I just let some strangers untie it and take it away for some unnamed “Master” I knew very little about? I must have re-read this story a dozen times and wondered what I would have done. Would I have given up the colt if I hadn’t known it was for HIM?
The Master has need of it.
Now I don’t know if it was all the Easter candy, the fasting, or the long travel hours over the holiday weekend, but I began to even think to myself, what if I was the colt, the donkey? Would I have been willing to carry Jesus? Would of I been willing to bear the load? I most likely would have balked at the thought of being put into service and not knowing the reason. I could have felt resentful to be taken from my home, a place of comfort and security, by strangers to carry another stranger. However, I can image, the moment the colt looked Jesus in the eyes, and saw him as so much more than a stranger. To see him as the Loving Lord, and knowing he was going to care for me while not asking me to do anything that could not be completed. I can imagine hearing Him saying to me over and over, it will be alright, just TRUST in Me. I can then imagine seeing the all of people and being happy for the small roll I was playing in carrying Christ on Palm Sunday.
Well, my Brothers and Sisters, the Master is in need of you. Not in some story or parable, but in this world right now. He is in need of you in all three ways, to give him your time, your talents and your treasure. Not just for a little while, but forever to change the world. We must be willing to hear that He needs us to share his love in a darkened world. With strangers, co-workers, the financially poor, as well as those poor in spirit.
We must reach out to our neighbors, with the good news, we must reach our communities and parishes and tell them, The Master has a need of you! Please look for ways to share this good news, now that He is risen!!
Vivat Jesus!
Tim Nowak, GA Wisconsin/ UP Michigan
