Reflection, Commitment, and Lenses to See the World

Today was the first mass at which I had the chance to hear Fr. Sam give a homily in a long time.  And the opportunity to hear him did not disappoint.

He noted that as we approach the end of the liturgical year, we are called upon to reflect on our commitment to what we are called on to do through our faith.  The reading today was one way of telling the story of how challenging faith can be.  The reflection on commitment is a part of our faith.  And our faith transforms how we look at the world, so Fr. Sam related his talk to the song Open the Eyes of My Heart on numerous occasions. 

And, as a life-long practicing Catholic, all of this makes sense to me.  There is a lot to consider about my faith, to ask myself about commitment, and to then think about different lenses through which I can look at my own life, the people in my life, and the events in my life to consider how they all relate and how I relate to the commitment I have been called upon to make.

But I think that anyone can think about issues like this.  Not just Catholics.  Not just Christians.

Each of us approaches the end of things.  The end of a calendar year.  The end of a school year.  The completion of a major project. 

When we reach a time or event like that, there is a chance to think about how we got there and where we are going. 

We can think about the commitment we exhibited and the commitment we must continue to exhibit.

And when we have something that leads us or drives us to the goal and helps to enhance the commitment, we can think about how whatever leads us or drives us affects our view of the world. Are there lenses that it provides us with that gives us new insights on life—our own and those around us. 

Not surprisingly, in addition to my faith, I think about my running.  My commitment—to myself and to those with whom I run.  My commitment not only to fitness, but also my commitment to sharing.  My commitment to being a good friend.  My commitment to giving and mentoring through my running.  My commitment to all the things I talked about in “Running is…”  My commitment to making running into something that spans my life and gives me what I need to take on any challenge.