“If the Lord himself was right here, right now, asking you to help him spread the good news, would you sign up?” That is the reality of the reading today. But the problem is that most people’s “yes” is based on the premise that Jesus was actually standing in front of them. As a young man pointed out when he was asked a similar question, “Since that is not going to happen, why should I listen to you or these words?” It seems as if we have a problem identifying with the truth that Christ is truly present with us today through his Word and in the gift of Himself in Holy Communion. If we can acknowledge that Jesus is present in these truths, how do we then move beyond the excuse that these words of Jesus are only meant for those called to the priesthood or religious life? Here is why Jesus’ words today are meant for anyone who calls themselves Christian. If we say that we are followers of Jesus Christ, we are charged with the responsibility of trying to live our lives in concert with his teachings. What does that mean? For some of us, the call will be to religious life, but for most, it will be serving others through our chosen vocations that may help others or in our volunteer work. If we can see the beauty of this call by the master, we can change the world. By making a concerted effort to help others in need through simple acts of kindness, we can learn how sharing the love of Christ brings unsurpassed joy to our lives and theirs. We can also learn what this call means for the gifts and talents we have been given to give away to others. Everyone could answer the call of the master if we only focused on lifting our voice in daily intercessory prayer for the needs of the Church and the least, the lost and the forgotten, learning to care for others’ needs more than our own. There are so many ways to serve and so many excuses we can use