good to the last drop
"If anyone comes to Me without hating his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters, indeed his very self, he cannot be My disciple." —Luke 14:26, our transl.
It takes everything we've got to live the Christian life. If we don't make our relationship with Jesus our "all in all" (see Lk 14:26), if we don't take up His cross daily (Lk 14:27; 9:23), if we don't renounce all our possessions (Lk 14:33), we will not have what it takes to build the tower (Lk 14:28), fight the war (Lk 14:31), or run the race of the Christian life (2 Tm 4:7). If we successfully complete the Christian life, we will have crossed the finish line with nothing to spare. It takes every ounce of strength, every second of time, and our last penny — all that we have. "Our God is a consuming Fire" (Heb 12:29). If we give anything less than everything, we will fall short of what is necessary to obtain the kingdom of God (Mt 13:44-46).
Therefore, amazed that the Lord would accept our little "everythings," let us pour out our lives "like a libation" (2 Tm 4:6). Let us love Jesus as He loves us — with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength, and with all our minds (Lk 10:27). With great joy and thanksgiving, let us give the Lord our "all;" constantly, daily, till our dying day. Let us drain our lives to the last drop in imitation of Jesus, Who poured out His blood and life for love of us.
Prayer: Father, use me and use me up.
Promise: "Owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another. He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." —Rm 13:8
Praise: St. Martin was called "the Charitable" because of his care of the poor with food, clothing, and medicine.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, April 10, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 16, 1999