Strive For Greatness

3 Jan

“Anyone can cook… But only the fearless can be great.” ~ From the movie, Ratatouille

My parishioners know this; however, if you are not a parishioner, you will not have heard until now: I’m at Walt Disney World for a post-holiday vacation.  I try to go there every year in January.  I missed last January because of the pandemic so I am thrilled to be back, even if there are still restrictions in place.  Why am I telling you this?  Simply because the next two weeks of reflections will be sourced from quotes from Disney musicals, movies, or songs.

“Anyone can cook.”  That is so true.  As rudimentary as it might be, everyone can warm something up, make toast, boil soup, et cetera.  That might suffice for basic nourishment but it will never wow the crowds — or even the family.  But the person that puts his or her entire being into cooking, not fearing to experiment, that person can be truly great.

The same holds true for our faith lives.  We can all be believers.  That is very rudimentary.  All one needs to do is accept Jesus Christ into his or her life.  But, we are not going to be Francis of Assist or Mother Teresa of Calcutta if that is all we are going to do in the faith.  If we want to be great, we have to do more than accept Jesus.  We must embrace Jesus tightly, walk with Jesus, and live as Jesus did with courage and conviction.  That is the kind of faith that moves mountains.

There is another caveat to that analogy as well.  We must not want to be great in order for our own name to be known.  We must want to be great in the sight of God, living rightly, and inviting others to know the Lord and embrace Him and His will.  That is the difference between a mediocre Christian and a great Christian.

Just as a great cook must immerse himself or herself in the work of the kitchen, a great Christian must immerse himself or herself in the work of Christ.

FAITH ACTION:  Don’t settle for mediocrity in living the faith.  Instead, strive for greatness so that you may make the Lord known in the world.