Gilbert Shaw: Channel

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Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24

“Religious life is a function of witness and labor, the total commitment of self, holding nothing back, in order to be the channel of God to the world.”

Gilbert Shaw in an unpublished talk to the Sisters of the Love of God in What Do You Seek? Wisdom from Religious Life for Today’s World by John-Francis Friendship (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2021) 9.

I am so excited about this new book. Just bought it. Came in the mail last night. It’s authored by Daily Meditations reader John-Francis Friendship. Check it out here on Amazon.

This first little quote from it struck me. Particularly the idea that following Jesus is a “total commitment of self
and “holding nothing back” for a purpose.

We do this in order to be a channel of God to a parched and thirsty world. Shaw’s charge to the Sisters of the Love of God matches precisely the charge of Jesus to the first disciples.

To be generous sharers in 2o22 and beyond we must hold nothing back. This requires us to deny or say “no” to ourselves so we can say “yes” to God and others.

What do you need to say “no” to in your life in order to be a channel of God to a needy world?