By Beth DeCristofaro
Beloved, let us love
one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and
knows God .… In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and
sent his Son as expiation for our sins. (1 John 4:7, 10)
When Jesus saw the
vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep
without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34)
Piety
O my God, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul,
because Thou art all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself
for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all
whom I have injured. Amen. (Act of Charity)
Study
Wonder what it was
like to be there when Jesus taught the crowd then fed them. I’m reminded of times that were deeply
moving, awe-inspiring or electrifying.
At an anti-war rally in D.C. the atmosphere was exciting, adrenaline
producing and I left with a renewed hope for the future even though, due to the
thousands who were there with me, I could not see any of the featured
speakers. Way back in 1979 Pope John
Paul II visited Boston. I joined
hundreds of others lining the streets of “Comm Ave” and (I think!) got just a
glimpse as his cortege passed by. Our spirits
were stirred by this shared witness to our faith. At the Atlanta Olympics we were exhilarated to
watch the success of our women gymnasts despite being so far up in the stands
that I could barely see a back flip performed.
Moments of deep meaning, excitement, shared values can be awesome.
The thousands of
people who surrounded Jesus must have had varied experiences of the miracle. Some were front row participants, some were
most likely so far in the back as to need explanations. Some might have been distracted by
responsibilities like watching children or dealing with pain or illness. Were there pickpockets paying attention to
their victims rather than their Savior? What
lessons learned? What faith
inspired? But also what might have been
missed of those grace-filled moments?
“Only one attachment…to which the spirit is
actually or habitually bound is enough to hinder the experience…of the delicate
and intimate delight of the spirit of love, which contains eminently in itself
all delights.” This quote of St. John of the Cross was in an essay addressing
fears which keeps us from God. John the
Evangelist clearly says: everyone
who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Like those in the back of the crowd or those behind obstructions in the
vast crowd, we can doubt God’s love for us and withhold it from others. We need to continuously keep our eyes and
attention on our Shepherd who teaches us many things and feeds us in spite of
ourselves.
Action
Read some of the
action suggestions on the USCCB website concerning poverty, immigration, social
ministry. As you read, do you recognize
resistance to some of “those people?”
Why do you withhold your love?
What within you needs to be loved so that you might love?
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