Achieving little things with great love

 The next few weeks call us to reflect on the importance of our Eucharistic faith. This binds us closer to God and to each other. As we enter the scene, we see Jesus seeking to feed the five thousand from what appears to be very little. When asked to live our faith in a culture that values strength, achievement, and power, this can often be our reaction. We tend to stake our lives on externals rather than the gifts that we have on hand. Some doubts emerge about whether we have enough for the task entrusted to us. There can be a sense in which we pray for what we believe we need rather than praying about what we need. Thus our intentions focus on what we believe we need to finish the job at hand rather than praying on what God desires for us.

The focus on the immediate can overflow into our daily lives. We bounce from one activity to the next trying to cram more into our daily that is physically possible. We start to make impossible demands upon ourselves and upon others. Our lives seem to be so busy that we become intolerant of delay, failure, and ambiguity. Yet St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians promotes selflessness, gentleness, and patience. The need is to become people who seek to build people up rather than tear them down. We are called to be in the race together.

Over the next few weeks, we will witness the Olympics which brings together people from many nations. The aim is to seek to build up unity through friendly competition and respect. Yet we know that from the opening ceremony, it seems that respect was not present to those who see the Eucharist as the summit and source of our life. In an age where tolerance is valued, it is disappointing to witness how little respect the organizers of the opening ceremony had for how this may be viewed by people of faith. Over the next few weeks, we pray that our hearts and minds may be open to finding ways of witnessing to our faith in little ways with great love. 

Like Sheep without a shepherd

 We live in an age in which everyone has an opinion. We notice it almost every day when pundits and commentators seek to inform us of the day's issues. This constant stream of news can catch up in a wave that seems to carry us along with little time to reflect on where we might stand. It may also rob us of the inner freedom to consider what is most central both to our own life and the life of the community in which we are called to live. This barrage of noise can dissipate us and cause us to lose our way. We find it hard to listen to the small still voice that guides our hearts.

This is why we need to spend some time each day where we can listen to God through contemplation of scripture and a review of life. These are precious times when we need to log out of social media, turn off the radio or television, and put aside the magazine or newspaper that covers the latest hot topic. We need the time when our minds and hearts can rest can dive below the surface into the depths of our souls. This quieting presence allows us to be sustained in a world that can often seem chaotic and erratic. It helps us to be still and present what is most important for the moment.

When we emerge from these times of prayer it is possible to notice our own inner compass that gives us direction and purpose. It allows us to listen to the voice of God in daily life and attend to what is necessary not just what appears urgent. This saves us from wasting time on what is beyond our control or our influence. This allows us to seek to trim our sails and be guided in the way that leads to life. A life that shepherds us to be present to God in all that we are and all that we seek to do.

Take Nothing with you

 There is often a belief that Australians tend to overpack when they go on a trip. Especially when going overseas we seek to forsee whatever we may encounter along the way. We aim to cover the eventuality that we are aware of the climate in which we find ourselves. We can adopt this attitude, especially in times of uncertainty when we seek to predict what the future will hold. This can even be as simple as looking forward to the next weekend or seeking to secure a house or plan for our retirement.

Thus the gospel of the weekend seeks to disturb us that Jesus invites us to take just the clothes we are standing in on the trip we will make. This reliance on the providence of God for our immediate needs can surprise and confound us. This is not how the modern pace of life meets us because we are called to be prudent and risk-averse. Especially in an age where people are called to plan their financial future and are presented with cost of living pressures, this attitude seems to be reckless or foolhardy. Yet each day we face as it comes.

So how do we take this gospel to heart?  Jesus teaches us to meet others as people who already possess the wisdom and insight into our daily needs. This way of being seeks to provide what is needed for today. It shows how we can be present to God as we are not as we think we are. This way of being present allows us to focus on what is needed for today rather than being unreasonably worried about what the future may bring. This focus calls us to do what we can and not what we cannot do. It is not a way of avoiding our responsibilities to plan for the future but this is often dictated by what we can do in the present. We can only attend to what today may bring and allow God to guide us to make good choices.