-
Have you ever, really, wanted to get away? Today we find that Jesus, after the death of his cousin/friend John the baptizer goes to the desert. He seeks time alone to process. Yet, people hear about his were abouts and find him. Instead of being angry, he feeds them! Jesus is moved with pity for them. What about Jesus...he keeps on giving. Many times I have found myself in the situation when I feel like all I do is give. I want to go into the desert, to reboot myself, yet someone needs something. My humaness sometimes does not allow me to be as gracious as Jesus is. 

I think first, Jesus shows us that it is ok to want to retreat in times of crisis or sorrow. There are times when we need to reboot or regroup. Secondly, though I think today's scripture tells us that people will find us, and if it is the right time, then we too must be merciful and gracious as Jesus was. 

Today's readings: 

Gospel

Mt 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.” Jesus 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.

Lord, may we realize our boundaries. Help us to retreat when needed, and to rejoin when appropriate. Grant that we can help to feed those who are hungry. Find in us, giving hearts. We ask this in your son's name Jesus the Christ. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mercy a tribute to Pope Francis

-
Mercy “  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”  Psalm 145:9 (NIV)   Pope Francis was a man of mercy. His life, his Pontificate, were all ways he lived out mercy. He chose to live with the poor, not in a Vatican apartment. He called a synod that included the voice of women. He hired women for roles at the Vatican. He was going to do a pilgrimage with the LGBTQ community. He lived out mercy because he knew that all that God made was good and deserved compassion. John Paul II said to go be scripture scholars, so I did. Pope Francis has led by mercy, and it is up to us to continue the path he his light. A path of mercy and compassion. Today, walk humbly, walk with mercy, be filled with compassion, be a good Samaritan on the path…   Jesus, you said to feed my lambs if I love you I love you, and know all children are your lambs to feed with food, with kindness, with you Jesus, you said if I love you, to take care of my shee...
Read more

New Things

-
  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” ( Isaiah 43:18-19)   New Things. It is not easy to move forward. It is not easy to make your way through the wilderness and streams to the wasteland. The wasteland, to me, is the unknown. Yet to grow, to be fully alive, we must venture into wastelands. Sometimes we are thrust into it: a child comes along, when aging parents face their decline; job changes, or retirement can all be the time when we find ourselves in the wasteland. Forgetting former times isn’t about forgetting memories, but more about what we thought it would be like when we reach the wasteland. The ideas, ways things should be. Be situationally aware and embrace the joys, the difficulties, LIFE, for it is in the wilderness we face ourselves and find out what we are made of and who we really are as a child of God on th...
Read more

Red Sky

-
  “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31      Red Sky. This morning, the sky was red and pink. My grandpa taught me the saying, “Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors warning.” The vibrant colors of the morning sky was helped by the Canadian wildfires. Reading the sky or the situation is important to our survival. The faithful of Christ gathered in a room because they knew they needed to stay together. They “read” their sky and felt that without Christ, they were in danger. They knew they were stronger together. Their reward was the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave them courage and wisdom to continue the work of Christ. Together, we can create a red sky at night for others to see. We can help them to see the delight in following Christ. As I wait for the “littles” to come out so they get a ride home...
Read more