I laughed when I saw the two laundry room signs at Hobby Lobby: “Sort later” and “Wash tomorrow.” I bought them and hung them on the wall because they accurately described my attitude of “I don’t feel like dealing with this right now, so I am going to ignore it.”

This remained humorous until I became a mom, and my kids had the same attitude. I’d hear the whines and complaints of not wanting to clean their room or do their schoolwork. I’d remind them that there was a time for fun and a time to just deal with it and get the work done.

I felt a prick of hypocritical guilt as I looked over to the leaning tower of dirty laundry and those formerly cute signs. I sighed. I did not have a legitimate excuse. I just didn’t want to deal with it. On a deeper level, this laundry had become an outward expression of my interior life. God was asking more of me, but I was dragging my feet.

Living as a faithful Catholic is not easy. Cultivating a strong prayer life, weeding out sin, building virtue, and living counter-culturally cannot thrive in a life dominated by procrastination, timidity, and lukewarmness. I had to decide what kind of life I wanted to live.

All the readings today gave me my answer. Each proclaims one main message—“The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Look at the world around us. If there ever were a time we needed to get serious about our faith, it’s now. Prayer is crucial. Sacrifices are imperative. Souls are in desperate need of our courageous love.

Now is not the time for procrastination, because Jesus is before us imploring, “Follow Me.”

[bctt tweet="Jesus is before us imploring, “Follow Me.” // @bobbi_rol" username="blessedisshe__"]

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Whom can you invite deeper into this faith journey with you? Ask a friend to pray with you today. Lead by your loving example.