God is with us! Emmanuel! We tend to remember this word and phrase only during Christmas time, but the prophet Zephaniah and the people joining the witnesses of faith remind us again of the great gift of God in our midst. Christ Eucharistic is there to guide and strengthen us in our faith – all the time!
Our faith needs assistance as we journey to Jerusalem, our final and complete home. Father Eymard said in A Year with Father Eymard: Day by Day: “Situate your soul, not in the outcome of your service, and God, even less in good feelings, that is all too changeable and then true.” We set our sights on our future and have great hope. Because we know God is with us in the journey leading us in the direction we need to go now, but also to the new eternal Jerusalem. We can be at rest, assured, and deepen our trust that God is with us and pray for this assurance when we are in doubt.
Even when we have the worst things imaginable and unimaginable happening to us, God is with us! When the best things in life occur, God is with us! We can never understand each moment, fortunate or unfortunate, in our lives: God is with us, and that matters most.
People look to us to seek that assurance and strength. May we witness it again as we often show others that God is with us!
Prayer
As you lead your people, O God, you bring them through the trials and joys of following the cross to Jerusalem. Looking forward to our happy home, may we serve you in all its richness and continue to discover the joys of our Eucharistic call and vocation through Christ our Lord.
