There have been many times in the recent past that I have wondered about how God feels when He looks down upon the earth and sees the behavior of human beings; those He created in His own image and likeness. Must He not be shaking his head in dismay and bewilderment? How is it that these cherished creatures he created have shunned Him so badly and taken up such evil?
I know we are always on the asking end of our conversations with God but today I want you to think of what you can offer Him to salve His broken heart.
God has given us so many blessings – family & friends, a beautiful earth with incredible animals, plants, and amazing natural beauty all over the earth. Yet, we focus on the petty and fight with our brothers and sisters about trivial things; none of which matter in the long run.
It never ceases to amaze me about the greed that some people have, to amass more and more wealth, property, fame, and power. When one takes their last breath on this earth, none of these riches can be taken along.
Gospel Come to Life
Seems like today’s Gospel has come to life especially in the holiest of all lands, the place where Jesus Himself walked.
As St. Luke says,
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing” and goes on further to say “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three;”
And this last part was true in my family 2 Christmases ago when Covid was raging in the land. My children were adamant that my husband and I should be vaccinated in order for them to come visit at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we were not going to oblige. It was an extremely hard decision to say, “it’s ok if you don’t want to come visit but we are not going to put something in our body that we are not comfortable with.” Maybe others faced this same situation?
Holy Land
And now to see the Holy Land facing the tumult that is going on, is absolutely heartbreaking. I visited Israel only once a few years ago and long to go back and visit again. There is so much to take in that the brain and memory get overloaded.
I remember visiting the church of the Pater Noster; we celebrated Mass there and I was honored to be lector. The feeling of grace was so palpable to envision that this is where our Lord taught the people how to pray to His father, Our Father.
We took a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee and hearing Mass on the boat was especially memorable. I could visualize Jesus standing on a boat and gazing out at the surrounding areas teaching the people through parables. Makes the third luminous mystery come alive.
Let us learn from St. Paul’s first reading today and try really heard to free ourselves from being slaves of sin, which only causes us to be ashamed. Let us instead become slaves of God because the gift He provides is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thank you a very powerful and much needed message in these times. Thank you for sharing. May God bless you always.