Purses that last

What kind of purse does God have?  Its full of holes!   Spilling treasure through creation every day, it’s never depleted.   When Jesus said, “make purses for yourselves that do not wear out” he might have said make purses for yourselves that do not run out.   The Trinity is a purse that pours out everything it contains but never runs out of itself.  The Father is fully poured forth in the eternal Word who pours himself completely back to the Father in gratitude.  The pouring back and forth is the endless treasure of the Holy Spirit.

As we receive who we really are and begin to experience the subtle joy that our little existence is woven into the eternal existence of God we too begin to swell with gratitude.  This gratitude softens our anxious survival mindset since we are feeling the truth of the Trinity within us.  This is the “unfailing treasure in heaven” that is buried within us.  Actually, it’s not buried, but we have always looked for it in the wrong place.

Our vocation is to be a bag with room in it for our whole self.  When we accept the difficult parts of our selves then we accept the whole self.  Then we can begin to accept the difficult parts of others.  This mercy ends the war we have fought against ourselves for so long.  In the peace that follows we start to feel the peace that is beyond understanding and beyond worldly economics.  This peace gradually dissolves our dread of scarcity.  It is replaced by a simple abundance or a deep satisfaction in ordinary things.

This deep satisfaction is what beatitude is all about and its source is God.

Priesthood and Consecrated Religious life gushes with joy when a person learns how to be a purse full of holes, a wounded healer and a sinner dying of love.  So, if you have holes, wounds and sins then you can serve the treasure that never fails by following the master to your place around the table.   The wedding feast is ready and the world is starving.  Your insecurity, ignorance and weakness can be woven into a treasure spilling purse in good time.   The Oblates need you to help distribute the allowance of God’s food at the proper time.

By Mark Blom, OMI – Vocation Director

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Feel free to contact Fr. Mark for advice about discernment and vocation direction.  He can meet with you by phone to conduct a short vocation assessment to help you find your way.  Contact him at vocations@omilacombe.ca to arrange for an appointment.