Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sunday July 29th Reflection

Believe and the Lord will Provide Reflection for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary time 2012 By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans Divine Mercy National Catholic Church of America www.missionstsergius.org www.franciscansdivinemercy.org Listening to the news today is so depressing, wars raging in the middle east, natural disasters occurring all over the globe, people being devastated by hunger. I often hear people say; “Why does God allow so much chaos, suffering and tribulation in the world?” “What is happening in this world, people are so self-concerned and don’t seem to care about anybody but themselves” “The way things are in the world today, my heart is full of fear” My answer to them is the theme of today’s reflection, “You have to believe in God,” “Put your trust and Faith in God andTurn toward God.” “If you Trust in God and He will take care of You” Today’s gospel story of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, is an example of what is possible when you trust in God. The five loaves of bread and two fish were enough to feed a huge multitude of people who had followed Christ. After all had eaten their fill there were still twelve baskets leftover. This story is an example of what is possible if we put our trust and faith in Almighty God. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is entreating the people to “I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” In order to live according to God’s will we must accept our lot with humility, meekness and patience always seeking the gifts of The Holy Spirit to sustain us. We were told to live “In a Bond of Peace” But as long as individuals, governments, church denominations and nations cannot live in a Bond of Peace we seem destined to continually bring on the troubles we see all around us and that destroy so many relationships. As long as we continue to focus on our own personal needs and not expand our horizons to the needs and concerns of all God‘s children, as long as we fail to extend outreach to those in need and demonstrate compassion and as long as we fail to turn to Almighty God and live as Christ instructed us with these words; “Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind, soul and body and love your neighbor as yourself” we will continue to see strife and discord running rampant through the world. Strife, jealousy, greed, and discord are the powerful tools the Evil one uses to gain dominance and gain followers to His evil intent of becoming greater than Almighty God. Today, we desperately need to turn our focus toward the teachings of Jesus Christ and begin to put our faith into action. We must begin to be more accepting of God’s diversity. We need to put an end to all discrimination. We need to share the blessings that God has given us with those less fortunate. We must stop being self-centered and greedy and more generous. In short, we need to believe and trust in Almighty God, pleading for justice for all His Children. Jesus has said: "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) The letter of Paul to the Ephesians ends with; “There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD and father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6) I implore each of you as you go forth today end every day to put God first and foremost in your daily thoughts and actions. Try to treat everyone in the same way as you yourself want to be treated. Let God know that you accept His will totally and completely even when it does not fit your personal agenda. I personally believe that if each and every one of us were to actually live this way and allow God’s grace to flow through us toward all we encounter in our daily lives, we would actually see huge changes for Good in the world. I know, from personal experience, that He will provide us with what we need, when we need it and in proportion to how much we need he proves it to me all the time. Go forth with faith in God and He will provide. AMEN