The Lord Answers All Our Needs July 30

Piety

Jesus, your endless compassion is unmatched as you care for our souls, our bodies and our hearts. Help us to be like the little boy and offer to you ourselves and our possessions so you can use them for the good of all people. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/073006.shtml

“The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” Psalm 145

By Rev. Joe Mc Closkey, S.J.

[Jesus wanted to meet the needs of the crowd spiritually as well as physically. He turned to the disciples to inquire about feeding them even though He already knew the miracle he was about to perform. The solution grew out of Christ’s love and a simple gift from a boy who brought enough food to share.]

Christ saw the vast crowd and his heart was moved with pity for them. There is always something we can do for the people we are with. Christ calls us to meet the needs of the people we serve if we want to be like him.

It is enough that we are looking for Christ. He does not push us away. He always has something for us in the smile of a friend and the helping hand of those who reach out to us. It is the blood of Christ that brings us new life. He washes away our selfishness by his death and becomes our reconciliation with the Father by our efforts to imitate him. Created to the image and likeness of God in Christ, he is the best part of who we are meant to be. He came and preached peace to us who were far off and through him we have our access in one Spirit to the Father. He makes us one together because he is in heaven with all of us as the first fruit of his dying. Christ shares his mission with us and we become his hands and his feet as we bring him to the world.

The Lord is our shepherd; there is nothing we shall want. He calls us to the restful waters where we can find our strength in him. He gives us a fullness of life because he challenges us to be a giving people. We have to give our lives away in order to save them. The more we give, the more we have. The great paradox of our faith is that the only way we can hold unto Christ is to share him with others. We are called to be shepherds like him. Thus we shall dwell in the house of the Lord for the years to come.

Action

Do we want just enough in life or do we want more than our share? Do we give enough to Jesus and others in life? Is there anything left-over when we are done?

Today’s readings teach us that Jesus will provide what we need in life. Despite the tension created by what we want and need, by the quest to gather the money needed to survive, and by the commercial interests trying to ramp up our desires, Jesus turns even the smallest of gifts into enough for all. How can you turn your life into something that thrives on enough, not more?

Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action, by J. Matthew Sleeth, MD, gives an evangelical perspective on the environment and how his family gave up a life of affluence and is happier and healthier. As one reviewer on Amazon.com wrote:

This book WILL make many people squirm in their easy chairs, Christian and non-Christian alike. Though it is written from a Christian standpoint, it crosses all denominational lines and sectarian boundaries. It is at the same time easy to read but not easy reading…While presenting the facts of our global condition and the impact that our daily habits and routines have on our planet, our culture and on other cultures, Dr. Sleeth provides realistic and obtainable goals for individuals to step up to the plate and begin assuming responsibility, not only toward Mother Earth but her often overlooked and neglected inhabitants as well. Change is not easy…“Serve God and Save the Planet”…is a present day wake up call to the church and our western culture of similar magnitude. Sit back in your favorite chair with this fascinating and excellently written book and prepare to get uncomfortable!

Can you simplify some things in your life so you have enough left-over to give to Christ what he seeks and still have five wicker baskets of left-overs?