HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?

 

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?

HOW do you define SUCCESS?   What

Makes you successful IN LIFE?

For many of us in today's world=

It is wealth=it is FAME=it is

The things that make us

PROMINENT in today's world

But in today's FIRST reading=

Isaiah brings forth a

DIFFERENT idea

He says=You are a SUCCESS=if you

“Make JUSTICE your aim”                                                                                           Isaiah 1:17

A novel idea=and a great way

To be SUCCESSFUL

And Isaiah gives three ways

Of BEING JUST:

“Redress the wronged=

HEAR the orphan's plea=and

DEFEND the widow”                                                                                            Isaiah 1:17

Which LEADS us to

Some CONTEMPORARY questions=

WHO is being WRONGED

In our society today?

How can we HELP those

Who have been wronged?=and=

In what way=can I=

Can we=give them a VOICE

In today's world?

The Lord's VOICE is FAIR

The Lord's voice

Is always JUST!

How do you DEFINE SUCCESS?

Let us=let JUSTICE be

Our IDEAL

“I will SING

Of your love and JUSTICE

To you=Lord

I will sing PRAISE”                                                                                                    Psalm 101:1

“The righteous CARE

About JUSTICE for the poor

But the wicked

Have no such concern”                                                                                                     Proverbs 29:7

“And the Lord said=

'LISTEN to what the

UNJUST JUDGE says=

And will not God

Bring about JUSTICE

For his CHOSEN ONES

Who cry out to him

Day and night?

Will he KEEP putting 

Them off?

I tell you

He will see that

They get JUSTICE

And QUICKLY

However=when the SON OF MAN

Comes=will he FIND FAITH

On the earth?'”                                                                                                                 Luke 18:6-8

And in the gospel 

Today=Jesus REDEFINES SUCCESS 

Success=he says=is NOT in proper prayers=

Having FANCY titles=or in EXTRAVAGANT Fashion=

But Jesus says=we SUCCEED=when we

Are SERVING OTHERS

How many of us

Want to do that?

So the question is=WHO=

Might we SERVE TODAY?

“SERVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY

As if you were

SERVING the Lord

Not people

Because you KNOW

That the Lord

Will REWARD each one

For whatever GOOD they do=

WHETHER they are slave or free”                                                                            Ephesians 6:7-8

So how do YOU define SUCCESS?

WILL you step FORWARD and give

Others a VOICE=as Isaiah suggests?

And HOW will you go and SERVE

OTHERS in today's world?

HOWEVER we do it=SUCCESS comes from

GIVING ourselves AWAY=just as JESUS DID

In Jesus' name and in the name of his ALL LOVING FATHER

Robert P. Wallman

2-26-18 and 5-22-2022

Ps          INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.