Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Sent…Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

There’s something honest we don’t always say out loud. Some days… we just don’t feel like it. We don’t feel like preaching. We don’t feel like forgiving. We don’t feel like giving of ourselves the way Christ asks. And yet… here we are. That’s exactly where today’s Gospel meets us.

Jesus says, “No slave is greater than his master… Whoever receives the one I send receives me.” That word matters: send. The Christian life is not first about how we feel—it’s about being sent.

In the first reading, Paul stands up and preaches. And what does he do? He tells the story—Abraham, Egypt, David, John the Baptist, and finally Jesus. It’s a reminder that God has been at work long before us, and He continues to work whether we feel ready or not. Paul isn’t preaching because everything inside him feels perfect. He’s preaching because he’s been sent.

And the same is true for us. Jesus didn’t say, “Go when it’s easy.” He didn’t say, “Serve when you feel inspired.” He simply sends. And so we go—on ordinary days, on days when we’d rather be somewhere else, on days when our hearts feel a little tired.

And here’s the quiet grace in that. When it’s not about our energy, when it’s not driven by emotion, when it’s simply faithfulness—that’s when Christ comes through most clearly. Because then it’s obvious: this isn’t about us. It’s about Him.

Jesus says, “Whoever receives the one I send receives me.” Which means even when we feel inadequate, even when we’re just doing what we’re supposed to do, Christ is still being given. Not because we’re perfect, but because He is faithful.

So maybe today the prayer is very simple: “Lord, I may not feel like it, but You have sent me. So I will go.” And that’s enough.

We don’t have to feel ready. We don’t have to feel strong. We just have to be willing… to be sent.