No Longer Just a Story

We hear of the multiplication of the loaves and fish today as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Corpus Christi. It is story that we associate with the Eucharistic celebration during Mass as well as one that many of us remember from the picture bibles of our childhood. The people reclining on the grass, the baskets, the loaves, along with Jesus and the disciples in the colorful portrait.

However, I was prompted to reflect much deeper on this passage as our deacon in his always thought provoking discourse of scripture passages asked us to probe deeper into Luke's Gospel. He took us through the passage to the point where the disciples ask Jesus to send the crowd away.  Jesus replies "Give them some food yourselves." We all know what proceeds. Simply said the deacon's message was we are blessed with many loaves or talents and we are asked to feed others.  This insight had me thinking more profoundly.

The talents that I am given are not of my doing, but from the grace of God. However, I must rely on God to uncover these talents.  When I eat of the loaves I am united with my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. If I am focused on my own needs, my own self-centeredness, I neglect the body of Christ or as Pope Francis states, "We are torn from him when we are disobedient." These talents are loaves which can be multiplied by actions of love and forgiveness. It is only a matter of me finding these through prayer and reflection. But what about the Blood of Christ?

The connection I see here is that I must make sacrifices to be able to love.  Of course none of my sacrifices are comparable to those who truly gave up their lives to carry out the Gospel message.  "Can you drink from my cup?"  Jesus ask in Mark earlier this week. Perhaps I can drink of the cup is some small way. It is carrying out the message of of serving, instead of being served, loving, instead of seeking to be loved that I become part of the Body of Christ. As a broken individual full of sin, I find that the St. Francis prayer is of great solace, thus I seek God to reveal the loaves so that I can feed the hungry, the suffering, the ill.

Recognizing the Holy Spirit

A whisper in my conscience guides me to take a action of love that which gives me great joy inside.  I would like to think that this is because I am such a nice person. Upon further reflection I realize that this is the Spirit working in me.  I ponder this.  So how long did it take for me to recognize the Spirit?  When is the Spirit working within the recesses of my soul?

A Google search takes me to look for how many books have been written on the Holy Spirit. "Encountering the Spirit,"  "Receiving the Spirit," and host of thousands of other books have been published on the topic.  All the titles seem intriguing, but I would rather look to today's readings for guidance. Paul writes in both the first letter to the Corinthians and late to the Romans about receiving the Spirit in which he talks of spiritual gifts being given in some manner to individuals and of being in the flesh and not being able to please God.

It took me many years to figure this out.  The idea that there are many types of service and that this service actually is understanding God's will and carrying it out was quite foreign to me. I was that person who was living in the flesh that St. Cyril states of , "it is quite natural for  people who have been absorbed by the things of this world to become entirely otherwordly in outlook." I can say I haven't reached this state but certainly understand the concept and try to live it out daily.  The struggles of the world can be all consuming, but it is with the grace of God, the manifestation of the Spirit that I receive reprieve. I am faced with the temptation to judge and condemn daily, to rage at the craziness of the events that seem to be the only focus of the media, and the temptation to carry out the myriad of other sins that reside in me.

Realizing that as Paul conveys so clearly "that if you live according to flesh, you will die, but if you live by Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live," my only source of life is not what I sometimes gravitate to, that of recognition and achievements, but recognizing when the Spirit is working in me.  This state of consciousness forces me out of myself, to see the burdens of others, to provide a helping hand, or at least pray for the wellbeing of those that are suffering.  It is movement within, not of my own doing, that  provides none other than true life. It is that small voice that questions an action that I am attempting to take.  Some might refer to this as our conscience. I however, prefer to recognize this as the Spirit working within me.

Left Standing

We have all been left standing speechless and in awe at one time or another in our lives.  As avid sports fan there are quite a few moments in my life where I have seen game ending shots, spectacular catches, monumental home runs, or indescribable goals.  Likewise we have snapshots of some world event that had left us speechless. What follows is usually a statement such as "Did you see that" or "I can't believe what I just saw." Imagine the disciples who had seen numerous miracles performed by Jesus and were foretold of his ascension to the Father? Stuck in moment in time, perhaps wanting to hold onto the moment for what they had experienced over the time they had been with Jesus was in itself was difficult to put into words.

What follows is the actions which are the beginning of the Church. The Advocate becomes real and no longer are the disciples still, but become men of action. Many of us have experienced the living Jesus in the form of our interactions with others and have carried the message of love, charity, and forgiveness to the ends of the earth. This is the Gospel message.

Likewise is the challenge. Being moved by the Spirit and taking action. Living in a secular society and talking of such experiences creates tension for those unfamiliar with the Gospel message.  I find this myself as I ponder how do I spread the Gospel? I have heard quite often the quote, "How does one know that you are Catholic?" Do my actions and or words mirror those of a person of God? Daily reflection indicates on some days yes and other days it seems the Spirit in me is quite absent as I am filled with resentment, anger and other defects of character.

Back to left standing. Many people have read or heard the quote attributed to St. Francis, "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary use words." Although these are not the exact words from the great saint, the quote is a reminder to me that I don't have to be overcome with the fear of actually preaching or quoting verses of the Bible (of which I am not proficient) in some teachable moment. It is my actions which can reveal the Holy Spirit alive in me. Actions of charity, compassion, forgiveness. Actions of a kind word to a suffering colleague, to a person in the pews at Mass on Sunday, or praying for a loved one that may have hurt me in some way.  No longer standing, but being moved by the Spirit. Blessings on this Ascension Day and Blessed Mother's Day for all those mothers who have moved us out of comfort zones by their examples of living out the Gospel message.

What is this peace thing?

I have often pondered over today's Gospel passage in which Jesus proclaims, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you." So what type of peace do we have in the world or better yet how does the world give us peace and how does that contrast with peace of Christ. If there is peace in the world it is hard to find amidst all the violence and vitriol that seems to flood the news cycle and social media circuit.

As my pastor said today "the peace that is proclaimed is not the absence of war." However, that is what we are lead to believe.  Perhaps that is why Jesus states, "not as the world gives us peace."
We are lead to believe that we can find peace in comfort and the transitory awards of  material things.  When we have these and financial security peace permeates our being or does it? Time and time again we see that people that "have it all" become emotional wrecks as they seek to fill themselves with the inescapable thirst for something fulfilling.  Many of us have had similar experiences as the drive to fulfill career and family responsibilities becomes all consuming. If we have this position we will be at peace or if we have this salary we will  no longer worry about financial insecurity.

On a global scale if one nation stops escalations does peace then exist?  Maybe between nations which in itself is good, but then action or words seems bring on tensions once again.  This peace is short lived. Treaties are signed, conflict arises, treaties are broken, war starts again. Differentiating between the Gospel version of peace and human peace is important.

So what does Jesus give us?  He promises us a place in his house where there are many rooms. In Revelations the new Jerusalem is radiating beyond any human description where God's people may rest.  Search on the web "To be at peace with oneself" and you will find any number of entries beginning with Buddhism, psychology, motivational websites and the list goes on to 189,000,000 more. If I can't be at peace with myself then knowing that Jesus is the only lasting peace that is reassuring. Going to Him with my troubles, anxieties, and tensions in prayer at any given time provides the inner peace.  Yes, it took many decades to figure this out, but I think I have the found the answer. May the peace of the Risen Christ be with you.