Detecting your talent

 

 

My husband and I have this ongoing "competition" when we watch a favorite police investigation show. Without any humility, I can honestly say that most often I can identify the culprit within the first minutes of the show.

Now that's not always true, but it often is. Happily, my husband is now catching on and has vastly improved his detective skills. 

I have to admit that identifying a criminal in a television show isn't actually a skill I can use very often at this point in my life (thank goodness!), but one of the detectives on the show does have a skill I wouldn't mind having to a greater degree--the gift of observation.

This particular detective notes all of the tiny, incidental things that help to make their case.

For me, the skill of observance would be a good one to perfect.

I've noticed that comedians like Jerry Seinfeld seem to have the gift of observance, but I have noticed that some comedians overuse their gift to the point of being critical. Of course, they do it in the interest of being funny and making a joke, but at times it comes across as being just plain mean. 

Ask most people and they don't recognize the gifts, or talents, God has given them. Our talents might be subtle, such as being a good listener, or being well-organized, but the truth is, each one of us has gifts that we can use to contribute to the mission of the Church.

It is important that we recognize what we do well. Genuine humility might keep us from ever thinking about our gifts, but acknowledging them is not a problem as long as we credit God for gifting them to us!

Actually, it can be false modesty to claim we don't have any talents; it can be a denial of God's generosity, and it can also be an excuse to just float along, claiming we have nothing to offer. 

I encourage you to spend some time today reflecting on what it is that you do well, and offer it back to God in whatever way he needs you to use it.

Pray for peace, joy, and an end to war.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
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My Response

In response to the comment I received (*see below), which was written as a reply to my post, "Mary, an obstacle?" I do want to take a minute to answer the questions the writer asks. 

Typically, I let readers' comments stand so as to respect the writer and to avoid a lengthy back and forth, but occasionally I find it necessary to clarify, not out of an attempt to persuade, but to offer accuracy. 

I will try to do that here.

As always, thank you for your comments, they are most welcome!

Catholics would agree that there is one God and one mediator between God and the human race--Jesus--who is 100% human and 100% divine. 

Mary, does not share the divine nature of Jesus, only his humanity.

The distinction here is that Mary is not our redeemer and does not replace Jesus as such. She is an intercessor for us in her unique role as his mother, and she can take our petitions to him. 

Mary could not take the place of Jesus on the cross. She does not forgive sins. She is an intercessor for us in her unique role. (See my original post about her role at the Wedding at Cana.)

In 1 Tim 2:1 we read:

"First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone . . ." That is, we are encouraged to pray for others. 

Clearly, when scripture encourages us to ask family and friends to pray for us, Mary would not be excluded from helping us. We can take our prayers to Jesus or Mary.

Furthermore, we learn that "by God's grace Mary was preserved from sin at her conception, but we are cleansed from sin after our birth." (Beginning Apologetics I)

Free from sin, the gospel stresses the holiness of Mary.  She is called Blessed (Luke 1:26-56) by Elizabeth, and "favored one," by the Angel Gabriel when he exclaims, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you," at the Annunciation.

And finally, Gabriel says, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."

If you believe that passage from scripture, then isn't it also reasonable to believe that God, for whom nothing is impossible, could conceive Mary without sin?  

It wasn't only the state of being sinless that makes Jesus our Redeemer, but his divine nature shared with the Trinity that makes it possible. He IS God, and only God saves!

Indeed, it is good to ask questions about what we have been taught and learn from others as well. 

Hope this helps.

Pray for peace, joy, and an end to war.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy 

*Online Comment: 

"I can give you one reason why we shouldn’t pray to Mary: Jesus. And that is the only reason needed. There are plenty of passages about Jesus being the one and only mediator, but this one stands out. And in context, it’s even more powerful.
“Prayer and Conduct. First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time. For this I was appointed preacher and apostle (I am speaking the truth, I am not lying), teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NABRE‬‬

You say that Mary is not God. But only God is sinless. If Mary had no sin, then why didn’t she stand in and go to the cross? Why would Jesus be necessary?

Asking questions of what we are taught is important. And going to the Bible for answers is what we need to do. " Anonymous 

Mary, an obstacle?

 

Having been raised Catholic, and knowing and believing what Catholics know and believe about Mary, I have never struggled to understand the Church's teachings about Mary, but I know that for some people, these can be a real obstacle. 

The common question is, "Why go to Mary when you can pray directly to Jesus?" or, "Why do you worship Mary?"

Like Blessed Fulton Sheen said . . .

“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”

First, let's clear up the second question.

Catholics do not worship Mary. We know she is not God. We do accept that she was conceived without sin and that God prepared her for her special role to be the mother of Jesus.

But the "why pray to Mary" question takes a little more explaining, and the Bible gives us the perfect answer.

At the Wedding at Cana (Gospel of John, Chapter 2) the hosts of the wedding ran into a serious problem--they were running out of wine!

Mary, the mother of Jesus, noticed that their friends had a problem, and she turned to Jesus for help. 

Now there are a lot of things we could say at this point, but let's just stop right there.

Rest a minute on the fact that it was Mary who took the problem to Jesus. 

We know Jesus solved the problem by turning water into wine (his first miracle at Cana), but it was Mary who brought their problem to him.

Similarly, we understand that if we take our worries to Mary, they will reach Jesus through her. She may not have the power that Jesus has, since he is God and she is not, but she is certainly able (as she did at the wedding) to solicit his response.

Now yes, of course, we can go directly to Jesus as well, but Jesus made it pretty clear even in his final words from the cross, that Mary is our mother, and what is a mother's role but to listen and respond to the needs of her children? (Gospel of John 19:27)

The real question is, "Why wouldn't we go to Mary, our Mother?" 

We learn directly from the Bible, and specifically from Jesus himself, that as our mother, Mary is a sound recourse when we are in need.

Mary, an obstacle? 

No, Mary is a gift, from Jesus. 

Pray for peace, joy, and an end to war.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy