Here's the ultimate fact: If you know Jesus Christ, you've got it - "relational capital" - the best connection anyone can have in a lifetime.

Tuesday in the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a+9b

L uke 6:12-19 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. (13) And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; (14) Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, (15) and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, (16) and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (17) And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea  and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; (18) and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. (19) And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all.

Meditation by Carol Zuegner

J oy. Delight.  Do you recall when you last felt joy and delight? In a world where we are bombarded with life and all of its details, I think joy might escape sometimes, unheeded in our rush to finish our to-do list. We do have to get those things done. We have responsibilities to our families, to our jobs, to society. For adults, the moments of pure joy can be few and far between. And we probably take so much time trying to figure out if that moment actually was joy that we miss it. Maybe parents with children can more easily think of those moments when the toddler giggles uncontrollably at a simple game of peek-a-boo. The child is so completely in the moment, present, full of joy and delighted to be there.

Today’s responsorial psalm made me think of this.  “The Lord takes delight in his people. Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory.”

The Lord does take delight in us. We need to remember that when we are being less than delightful. The festive language of the psalm contrasts with a more stern reading from Corinthians, where we are told the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The list of those who will not inherit is pretty exhaustive and a good reminder to be true to God and to ourselves, to our true selves where there is joy.

How do we open ourselves up to joy? The Gospel gives us a clue. Jesus goes to the mountain to pray. Take time for yourself to pray even if your mountain isn’t quite so mountainous. Quiet time, even if it’s in the shower or in your car after dropping the kids off or late in the evening when you’re loading the dishwasher or at your computer.

Jesus then came down from the mountain and chose the Twelve. Surround yourself with people who believe in you. You can’t do it all yourself. 

Be in the moment, be present and feel the power of joy. The Lord takes delight in his people.

Supplementary Reading

"It's Not What You Know ... It's ..."

...we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. -John 6:69

I was involved in a conversation, recently, with a very intelligent person who I admire greatly, when he used the term "relational capital." In the context of the conversation, he was referring to individuals who were in a position to support the positive efforts of a Christian ministry. I'd never heard the term before - "relational capital" - but I have thought often about the content it communicates:

"It's not what you know...it's who you know."

This common sentence sometimes angers people. The natural (and negative) assumption is that it doesn't matter how much education you have or how hard you work, it's the people with connections who "get all of the breaks in life." I suppose there are times when this might be true. But, there are more times when inspired, positive persons capture a dream or an idea and become one of those persons to whom others want to connect.

Each of us has the opportunity to provide "relational capital" for someone ... and we all can look to others to provide this benefit for us, as well. Here's the ultimate fact: If you know Jesus Christ, you've got it - "relational capital" - the best connection anyone can have in a lifetime.

Lord, I know that I know You. I praise You and You alone for the "relational capital" I have in You. Let my face, my smile, my bright eyes speak volumes about Your joy to people I see or meet today. Amen.

Do people value their relationship with you? Why? What "relational capital" do you provide? Name someone you look up to, a person bringing "relational capital" into your life. What positive benefits does this person provide to your spirit?