Monday, August 1, 2016

Matthew 14: 13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.

Bring the Lord what you have. Trust in him and he will multiply it to give you an abundance of what is needed. Know that you cannot do this on your own but only through the grace of God can this be done. When your trust is in the Lord there will always be enough.

His heart was filled with pity for them for they were lost sheep in need of a shepherd. They hungered for something more than what food could provide. The Lord fed them with bred and fish but would soon feed them with his own body; the living bread, true food that leaves all who gnaw upon it satisfied with eternal life.

Today people still hunger. They still search for the true food that satisfies. But like the Israelites then we are a flock without a shepherd. We look for this satisfaction from everywhere but where it truly is. We search for it in money, power, and material things. We look for it in the disordered desires of our heart. We will only truly be satisfied once we return to the Lord, who is the bread of life.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Luke 12: 13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”

You do not see U-Hauls towed behind hearses. The only things you can take with you to heaven are friends. May I live my life in such a way that I get other people to heaven. This is the only thing that matters.

The love of money is not the root of all evil. The love of self is. Every sin chooses self over God. What then matters to God? God is agape – sacrificial love. God wants us to love one another as he loves us. This is the only thing that matters to God.

To love someone is to will the best for that person. We are called to put the best for someone ahead of our own selfish desires. Storing up abundance for myself for tomorrow while my brother goes without today appears to serve my best interest. I will not want come tomorrow. But is this really in my best interest?

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. The work I do for tomorrow could easily be in vain. In storing up for tomorrow while my brother goes without today I am only serving my selfish desire. When I selflessly give to my brother today I am storing up treasure in God’s bank. When I put the immediate need of my brother before my perceived future need I am willing the best for him. I am loving him sacrificially. This finds favor in the Lord and is what is truly in my best interest.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Jeremiah 26: 11-16, 24

The priests and prophets said to the princes and to all the people,
“This man deserves death;
he has prophesied against this city,
as you have heard with your own ears.”
Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people:
“It was the LORD who sent me to prophesy against this house and city
all that you have heard.
Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds;
listen to the voice of the LORD your God,
so that the LORD will repent of the evil with which he threatens you.
As for me, I am in your hands;
do with me what you think good and right.
But mark well: if you put me to death,
it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves,
on this city and its citizens.
For in truth it was the LORD who sent me to you,
to speak all these things for you to hear.”

Thereupon the princes and all the people
said to the priests and the prophets,
“This man does not deserve death;
it is in the name of the LORD, our God, that he speaks to us.”

So Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah,
so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

People do not what to hear the truth. People want to live the way they choose to do so. This reading tells us that those called to speak the word of God will be hated by those who do not want to hear that message. Christians have always been persecuted for their faith. It does not matter what the world does to us. Our time here is short. God remembers those who hear and obey his voice.

This reading also foreshadows the persecution of Jesus. Both were seen as prophets who brought the word of God to their people. The priests were threatened by their message and encouraged the people to put them both to death. The people relented with Jeremiah and he was protected. The priests were successful with Jesus and he was put to death.

If today you hear God’s voice harden not your heart.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Luke 10: 38-42

Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

I am like Martha. I am a sacristan. Sacristans oversee the Mass. We make sure everything is setup properly so Mass can go as smoothly as possible. The people who attend the Mass are like Mary. They get to sit and listen to the words of the Lord. They get to hold him in their hands; take him completely into their beings. They get the better part, or if we use a better translation of the Greek, they get the good part. Meanwhile I scurry anxiously about constantly worried about the forgotten or the unforeseen. I am like Martha.

There is need of only one thing. Jesus did not want Martha to wait on him hand and foot. Jesus came to visit and spend time with those he dearly loved. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and gave him exactly what he wanted: her time and attention. Martha ran about trying to attend to the needs she perceived he had. He wanted her company and she gave him service.

How often are we like Martha? How often do we spend time serving people who only want our company? Every year we scrambled to find my father the perfect gift for Father’s Day, his birthday, or Christmas. We put a lot of thought and running about to find just the right gift to show him how much we loved him. Every gift he accepted with gratitude.

Now I wear my father’s shoes. Now I am the recipient of gifts meant to bring me happiness and joy. Now I can truly understand what my father felt all those years. All I really want is the love of my children, a tight and lasting hug, and to hear, “I love you dad.” As my children grow older and leave the house to start their own lives all I really want is their time. How I wish I understood this when I was the child searching for the perfect gift.

Mary gave Jesus the perfect gift – her love. He desires love, not service. She has chosen the good part and it will not be taken from her.