Jesus said, “This is the work of God, to believe in the One He has sent.” John 6:29
As we celebrate the Father’s love for His children, us, we come to the realization that we celebrate the Father’s gift which is His Son Jesus. It is key in the Divine Plan that our way to the Father is through Jesus and Jesus is our everything.
Whatever situation that we find ourselves in, whether good or ill, we can find peace by letting Jesus into the situation and following His example. The Father in His great love for us, gave us Jesus who will shepherd us into Peace!
“Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent.” St. John of the Cross
In the Spiritual life we are going to find many friends and many enemies. Friends will stay with you because they will know your heart. Enemies will arise because your way of life, they are not able to tolerate. Both friends and enemies are important in one’s Spiritual development. This all part of following the Will of the Father!
The Father sent the Son so that we can become the creation that we were meant to be. Jesus reveals the Will of the Father! Jesus had many friends but he also had many enemies. This reality did not change the way He lived. In our Lord’s earthly life He loved all people. Jesus is God! He could have destroyed anyone against Him, but that would be against the Father’s Will.
Jesus had His Disciples and His enemies, both were important. The Disciples would bring the Way of Jesus to the World. His enemies like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, because they had a vested interest in their way of doing things, would try to destroy Jesus.
O necessary fault!
Because of the enemies of Jesus, the Divine Plan is accomplished! Without the enemies of Jesus we would not know true love. Those who could not follow Jesus, crucified Him. Jesus died for them too! But death had no power over Him! Jesus rose from the dead! LOVE WIN!
What does that say about us? True followers of Jesus must treat people as Jesus did. We are Children of the Father! Jesus taught us, by word and example, how to live that way of the Godpel. Those who persecute us, we do not attack! Rather we love them in return!
Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 6:8-9
#TotalTrust
If we trust Jesus, and have faith in Him, impossible things can happen. The Feeding of the Multitude is a beautiful example of what Jesus can do with the little that we have.
We do not know the future, but it is our responsibility to know Jesus and put our lives in His Hands. Who knows, the multitude may be fed again!
Jesus looked at the multitude and had compassion on them. Mark 6:34
The Heart of Jesus is full of love!
Jesus looked on the people of His day and wanted to heal them. They were lost in their day to day struggles. They needed His Way; they needed the Way of Peace. Only He and those that follow Him could lead to that Peace. This Peace is found in the Love that Jesus modeled in His life; a Love that is willing to die for the beloved. This Total Love and Total Trust led Jesus to the Cross! This Love heals!
Jesus is Alive and He Reigns!
Jesus looks at us today and has compassion! He wants to teach us His way, the Way of Peace. We have struggled through the Pandemic, we still have weather conditions that are terrible and often life threatening. We have human made structures that fail us. We may be brought to the brink of despair! Jesus still has compassion on us and wants to shepherd us to Peace! He is our Peace!
Jesus, in the sending of His Disciple on Mission (St. Mark 6:7-13) prepared them by the command of only taking the essentials for the mission of spreading the Gospel. This charge of Jesus is very helpful for us His Disciples today!
Too many things in our lives can distract us from Jesus and spreading the Gospel wherever we live, work and play.
Jesus will work through us because we have Total Trust in Him!
St. Benedict lived this charge of Jesus in his life and those who follow him still do so today. In doing so Jesus could save the World through him and now through us!
Follow the Charge of Jesus and be His tool in changing the World!
We can join Jesus in His amazement at His own people. We may also join Him in the sadness that His love was blocked by contempt.
Familiarity breeds contempt!
Jesus knew the people from His home village and He loved them as He loves everyone. But because of the wall that they made, they could not receive His love. What a sad story! It is a terrible loss of a wonderful opportunity for healing miracles to happen in the lives of the people who knew Jesus!
Familiarity breeds contempt!
We can become the village folk of Jesus’ day. Jesus must be kept on the throne in our lives. Let no wall block Him from loving us into His miracles and blessings! May our faith be ever strong!
Jesus took her by the hand and said to her “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Mark 5:41
We see in St. Mark’s Gospel the raising up of a little girl who was dead to the World, but asleep to Jesus. In Jesus, death is sleeping, it is not permanent thing. He came to raise the dead!
There are so many beautiful things in our story today. Let us look at a few of them.
First, we have a synagogue official who comes to Jesus because his daughter is sick onto death. He had FAITH IN JESUS!
Jesus went with him to his home. There was public mourning for the synagogue official’s daughter’s demise. Jesus continued on to the daughter’s bed even though those who did not have faith ridiculed Him. We know the end of the story!
O death where is thy sting or grave thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55
The key in this miracle is FAITH! The synagogue official had faith and Jesus worked the miracle!
If there is death in our lives, have faith, call on Jesus and find healing!
Jesus said to them, why are you afraid? Have you no faith? Mark 4:40
Jesus speaks to His Disciples in a stern way but He loves them. He protected them. He wanted these future leaders of the Church to know that He will always protect them and will never leave them no matter what storms will come in their lives. And they will live stormy lives.
The life of a disciple of Jesus has not changed much as it relates to the reality of stormy times. We are finishing a very stormy time, the time of the Pandemic of 2020! Jesus still says to this particular stormy time and all of the stormy times in our lives: “Quiet, be still!” He also reminds us to have faith, His Boat, The Church, will get us through the storm!
Our Lord uses the mustard seed to remind us of the power of faith. It is so easy to get discouraged. There are so many challenges that we have to deal with. If we think that we can do things on our own, knowing our weaknesses, it would make sense to give up. But the fact is, we are not alone! Our call, our responsibility is to do the best that we can do and allow the Divine Power to use us!
St. Paul reminds us to be courageous!
So be of good courage…we walk by faith and not by sight… 2 Cor 5:6-7
The world has been changed by people who were very ordinary and yet God changed the world through them.
God is still in the World Changing Business!
Let us allow the Divine to use us and make “Thy Kingdom Come” a reality in the world around us!
Hermitage of Peace 