“Coming to realise that even in ‘unfamiliar situations’ and ‘moments of discomforts,’ God is near me!”

(Based on Gen 6:5-8, 7:1-5,10 and Mk 8:14-21 – Tuesday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

A little boy – staying in the city – was to go with his family to his native village with his family.

On the night before leaving, he made a prayer to God:
“Good bye, Dear God!

We are going to the village tomorrow.
See you after 5 days! Take care!”

Though this prayer expresses a lovely dimension of prayer…
… and the innocence of a child’s immense love for God

This prayer is also a reflection of many of us “elders” who feel that when we move away from our familiar places/situations…
… we are out of the sight of God!

Is my life of faith only dependant on “familiar situations” and “moments of comfort”…
… to feel that God is near me?

Do I feel very uncomfortable and lost spiritually, when things seem too alien or situations seem to be too unfamiliar?

The Gospel of the Day presents an experience of the disciples…
… an experience of not “feeling the closeness of the Power of Jesus,” despite the fact that He was with them
… an experience of “feeling lost and uncomfortable” on facing an unfamiliar situation.

The disciples had embarked on a journey with the Lord.

They had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf.

During the journey, the Lord cautioned them on the “yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod…” (Mk 8:15)

This was in reference to the “insincere and phoney” attitude that the Pharisees and Herodians were exhibiting to Jesus and His ministry.

The disciples, however totally misunderstood these words of the Lord. They thought that the Lord was scolding them for taking less bread on the way.

The reference to the “yeast” in the context of the “lack of bread during the journey”…
… made the disciples to conclude this way: “They said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’” (Mk 8:16)

But the Lord strongly reminds them to become aware of “His Presence” with them!

He chided the disciples – asking them to make a shift from temporal aspects to the eternal dimensions of life!
He strongly urged them to recognise His Divine Presence – especially through the manifestations of glory that He had displayed in the many great works!

The Gospel passage ends with a very pertinent question: “Do you not yet understand?” (Mk 8:21)

The disciples…
… had heard a good number of Divine exhortations and sermons
… had seen many people having a transformative experience
… had witnessed a great number of miraculous deeds

Yet, their eyes were closed… and they failed to recognise the Mighty Presence of the Lord with them..
… being occupied only by the “lack of bread”

All of us, like the disciples, travelling in the boat of our lives are put forth this question: “Are you only focussing yourselves on the lack of earthly bread…
… or do you recognize and understand that the Bread of Life Himself – the Source of all Goodness – is with you in the boat of your life?”

Do I seek JESUS ABOVE ALL?

Is my life of faith only dependant on “familiar situations” and “moments of comfort”…
… to feel that God is near me?

Do I feel very uncomfortable and lost spiritually, when things seem too alien or situations seem to be too unfamiliar?

Let us realise and understand that even when things seem too alien or situations seem to be too unfamiliar…
… God with His Power, is close to me!

We might sometimes feel that when we move away from familiar places/situations…
… we are out of the sight of God.

But let us come to realise that even in “unfamiliar situations” and “moments of discomfort”…
… God is near me!

Let us fill…
… the apparent emptiness of our lives with the Love and Spirit of the Lord.
… the seeming vacuum within us, with the Peace and Passion for the Lord.

God bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism:

In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way.
To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm…
… and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.
In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account
… the conditions of their time and culture
… the literary genres in use at that time
… and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating.
But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter: “Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by Whom it was written!” (CCC 109-111)

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