Friday here is trash day, so last Thursday I went to go and put out the trash as I usually do. There is an automatic garage-door opener here, and there is a remote control for it in the living room in the house. So, a lot of times I usually use the remote from the living room to open the garage door and then go outside and through the garage to get the garbage and bring it out.
So I picked up the remote for the garage door and pushed the button. Nothing happened. I pushed it again – nothing. Again, making sure I pushed it hard enough – nothing. Huh, I thought, I wonder what’s wrong.
I went down to the basement to explore. I reached the garage and found the control button that is mounted on the wall. I pushed that – nothing. Huh.
Now, so that the automatic opener won’t cause the door to accidentally close on some unsuspecting soul standing in the way of the door, there are infrared sensors near the bottom of the doorway that check to see if anything is the way of the door. They are like friends looking at each other from either side of the doorway – if anything blocks their view of each other, they don’t let the garage door move. Sometimes, I can leave something like a broom or gardening tool blocking the line of vision, or something can fall in the way – then the door won’t operate. So, I checked both sensors – nothing in the way. Huh.
Then I remembered that there are two light switches on the wall, next to the control button for the door opener. One of those turns on and off the power to the opener. I flicked the switch.
Bingo.
I must have accidentally flicked it when I was trying to flick the other one to turn off the basement light.
One little switch, and I was able to open the door get all the garbage out.
We all have some garbage in our house, in our hearts. Now, the Lord wants to get the garbage out. He wants all the junk that’s inside our hearts to come out. But sometimes, our door won’t open. There’s some little thing that needs to be switched.
At the moment when the Lord came to him on the shore of the sea, Peter was not a success-story. Neither was he an especially righteous man. But the Lord wanted him. He was going to get the garbage out of him and live in him and do great things with him and in him. Peter was going to be the rock on which He would build His church. Peter was going to be the first Pope and the leader of the Church.
We can sometimes think that the Lord wants successes and heroes. You know, people who are good at getting results, are multi-talented, efficient and effective at accomplish things. This is the way the world is, and it can sink into the Church, too. But the Lord is different.
He is looking for sinners and failures.
“They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. For I came not to call the just, but sinners. ” (Mk 2:17)
If you are having trouble opening up to get the garbage out of your heart, forget the world’s way and don’t be afraid.
Remember, the Lord loves sinners and failures.
Flip the switch.
Beautiful
faaaaaaaabulous!