Give it the people to eat!

We live in a time when we need to turn our words into actions. People are conscious of how easy it is to say something in the haste of the moment only to struggle to make it happen. There is a focus on what people say and keen observance to see whether we can trust what has been said. At the heart of it all is whether the words will nourish and sustain us. This is not just about creating a warm feeling in the heart but actually putting food on the table. This why we need to listen to what is the essential need and then discover how we can creatively respond to that need with the resources that are to hand.

In the Gospel we see Jesus and Elijah facing the same reality. People have been inspired to follow them into the desert and listen to a voice which promises life. When they are told to feed the multitudes with what appears to be limited resources the disciples quite rightly do their sums. It does not add up what can they do with so little when confronted with such an overwhelming multitude. You can sense that they are confronted by what seems an impossible task and their confidence to provide for others is greatly shaken. Yet in the midst of great need Jesus and Elijah call upon us to trust in the God who provides for the needs of the many. The focus turns on what the people need rather than the little we have to offer. This is at the centre of the Eucharist moment. What can what appears so small transform our whole life by opening our hearts to God and each other.

We become so used to think in terms of scarcity and lack that we miss the moments of grace which allow us to provide for the moment. This does not make life easier but it does change the way we share what we have with those in greatest need. The centre shifts on to the person and how we can provide what is needed rather than determining whether our relationship should be limited by what we have. Each day offers us the opportunity to creatively meet others and help us to discover what will put food on the table.

For whom do we live?

They were like sheep without a shepherd. These words resonate very clearly to me not just as a priest but also as a spiritual director. The question is how do I lead people to good pasture in which they can be nourished and sustained. This is no easy task as it calls me to reflect on what I seek myself and what time to I find to seek that same nourishment. We live in an age where there seems to be no end to the number of pastures in which we can graze. In fact, it is easy to leap from one to the other in a matter of seconds, whether we are googling, scrolling through our Facebook or just channel surfing. It is easy to become unfocused and distracted by so many items on the menu that we forget to actually sit down and eat. I think this is the essential part of this weekend's Gospel is that we need to find time to sit down with each other in which to encounter Jesus who will speak to our hearts. This normally happens when we attend Mass on Sunday where we are called to hear his words and be in communion with his life. There is a need to come close and rest in his presence.

It is from this encounter that we can start to make sense of our lives on a daily basis: what brings us gratitude: where do we find ourselves being renewed and refreshed; what troubles us and disturbs us; where do find ourselves being tripped up by our own sinfulness and dissipation; what do we consider to be our next step that brings hope and good news to others? Our life is not called to be one of aimless wandering. We are called to find our lives coming alive in the person of Jesus Christ. This is not just by wishful thinking but by a desire which manifests itself in how we pray and how we live. There is a desire that God wishes us to be fulfilled which brings peace to those who are far away and those who are near at hand. May we discover people who lead us to good pasture and especially during this month of July to follow Pope Francis' call to pray for priests that they may be renewed in their pastoral ministry.

Why go for a walk when you end up in the same place?

We tend to be very outcome driven. Things can be judged succesful by the results produced and the goal being achieved. We can always seem to be on a journey to somewhere that no sooner have we arrived than a sense of disattisfaction can arise and we seek the next destination. In this weeks readings we see a similar story. My focus was drawn to the success achieved than the journey undertaken. Yet both are important. We become who we are called to be by setting out with each other on the journey. We start to meet ourselves as we are rather than in who we think we should be. In this slow steady pace we encounter the one who walks with us on our pilgrimage through life. We find a sense of healing and resilience which can confront our inner fears. We discover that life enables us to make the next obvious step and transforms the environment in which we live. 

Listening out for God

How we listen for God shapes how we live our lives. This is reflected not just in how we pray but what grabs our attention. This is seen in this weekends readings which deal with both the words of prophecy and our own weaknesses.  The idea of prophecy  can sometimes be misinterpreted as though it predicts events in the future over which we have no control. There can he a sense of fatalism which can poison the soul and cause people to become passively fearful of an unexpected future. People can become disengaged and sceptical that there lives count when confronted by the callousness of the world.
Yet in the midst of all these uncertainties we are called to be open to how God is at work. This is not just in focussing on our own weaknesses but rather on how God's grace is present in ordinary and familiar events of our lives. This allows us to discover how God meets us as the centre of how we are called to live. By seeking God in the everyday we start to see what brings life and what draws us into an everyday faith. Thus prophecy helps us to see how God is not about predicting the future but rather engaging us with the present. To live in a way which is shaped by God and which engenders hope in the way we are called to be in our present age.