Hear, O Israel!
The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with your whole heart, and with your whole being,
and with your whole strength!
Take to heart these words which I command you today.
Keep repeating them to your children.
Recite them when you are at home and when you are away,
when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
The God of the Old and New Testament is certainly in need of nothing, even our worship. God lacks nothing. God is the cause of everything, and source of all beings. God is not just another being, He is existence itself, all that exists, exists in Him and through him.
Are we not grateful when someone gives us a gift, no matter how small it is? We can’t begin to tick off all the gifts we receive from God, our very existence, our world, the air we breathe, the sunlight and rain that produce food for our nourishment…
Each day is a day of gratitude and thanksgiving to the one who makes all things possible. Worship is not something that God needs, but it is very much something that we need…. To acknowledge that God is our end all and be all.
We can add nothing to God’s glory, but we can express God’s glory in our behavior to others. . Our lives become right ordered. We are ready to travel safely home. We may pray with the Psalmist…
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek:
To dwell in the LORD’s house all the days of my life,
For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble,
He will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock.
Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD! (PSALM 27)
Very disturbing are continued reports of diminishing attendance at Sunday Mass. In a few decades it has dropped from 70% of Catholics to now 30%, Wow! So many going it on their own. How is that working out? It can be a real challenge to remain faithful. So many worldly distractions. So many Church scandals…
When people dismiss or ignore God’s presence in this world they also ignore His graces and support for times of stress, grief, despair… At Sunday Mass we celebrate the Eucharist, the same sacrifice as on Calvary but in an un-bloody manner.
As we join ourselves in offering ourselves with Jesus to the Father we encounter God’s presence in personal and profound ways and are the recipient of the graces Jesus merited over 2000 years ago. We are there with Jesus offering ourselves in sacrifice and in reparation for sin.
Just as we need to nourish our physical bodies in order to have strength; to work; and to live well, so too we need to eat in the House of the Lord to have spiritual strength. Nourished by this heavenly food we carry on the work of Christ and His Church.
Recently, I was in a hospital recovering from a fall and severe fracture of my upper arm, then that led to rehab and both OT and PT, all very painful and now in out-patient rehab. Why I bring this up is that when you are in pain it is not the easiest time to pray or even feel presence of God. Don’t wait until you are in extreme conditions to pray. Pray now, attend Mass now, participate in Sacramental life now!
Sometimes God seems so distant….not engaged at all….the faith of my Baptism tell me He is engaged in my suffering….sometimes all we can do is ask God to do something good with our suffering for others…sure we can pray for our healing…but that is in God’s time and place….something beyond our control..
In rehab, I looked around at so many others older and more disabled than myself and most likely not to ever go home again. What is that all about, God? No wonder euthanasia has so much support around the country based on a fictitious “quality of life.” What does God and His Church say about doctor assisted suicide?
So called “Death with Dignity” is always immoral. Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable. A government that legalizes assisted suicide sends the terrible message that there is such a thing as disposable people.
So God, what is the God answer to these long suffering souls in nursing homes and the like. First, their very state of being can be a prayer, a surrender to will of God for themselves and others. Second, those who are their caregivers have opportunity to love and care for their neighbor and show by example how we love one another. I know the caregivers I had I will never forget and are in my prayer intentions. I know they were God’s hands of mercy to me in this world.
God allows evil in this world but never wills it. Sometimes, the evil he allows brings a greater good, like conversion, reconciliation and forgiveness. What some perceived as a shameful death of Jesus became our lifeline to eternity.
Did God just retire to some far away place after Old Testament and New Testament times? I think not! Why would He do that? He has a lot invested in us, a very complex, salvation plan evolving over centuries, the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, and promises that have not yet been fully realized.
THIS IS MY BODY DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME
I am the living bread from heaven…whoever eats this bread will live forever….whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day…whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him John 6:48 (Bread of Life Discourse)