Today’s first reading tells of the story of Noah and the flood that wiped the Earth of all living things aside from Noah and his family and the animals he was told to take. God promised not to destroy the Earth in this way ever again a few chapters later in Genesis 9. How merciful. I sometimes wonder about this. Surely, we deserve the destruction. The killing of innocent human life in the unborn is reason alone. And yet, God has made this covenant, “I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all the living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all moral beings.” Gen 9:15
And Yet
A promise so secure and binding and yet we question and fail to give our complete trust. In today’s Gospel, the disciples are fearful because they did not bring enough bread. They are worried. These men who have been living with Jesus, learning from Him. Even they lack trust. Jesus questions them, “Do you still not perceive or understand?”
How often He must think the same of us. He has left His written word, His instructions on how to live, His covenant, and yet…. And yet we worry. We question. We fret.
Shed Your Worries
Friends, we know how the story ends. Let this gospel be your reminder to shed the worries. The ones that seem impossible to carry along with trivial matters. Let go of the things out of your control. Focus on your vocation, the people God has put in your life, and most importantly, your relationship with Him.
Remember, too, He has left us with the Bread of Life. The Eucharist. I encourage you to go receive Jesus in the Eucharist a little more than usual this year.
