The overall message of today’s readings is that God always has a plan for his children, and God’s children need to do their part. We need to know how to listen to and follow God’s “promptings.”
As a child recognizes its parent’s voice, we need to recognize God’s “voice”. The child learns to interpret what the parent is conveying. We learn by doing, so there is trial and error, and faith. Jesus gives us pointers: put your mind in a state of “ask,” “seek,” “knock,” and…“listen.”
Peter Julian knew and lived the importance of being united and focused on the Eucharist. He knew when he was called, carrying the Eucharist through the streets celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi, that he was “hearing” the Father prompting, “Wonderful, child. Now, for the next step…” He worked tirelessly to bring the Eucharist out of the Tabernacle into the lives of the people he lived with, calling people to appreciate a new sense of wholeness with Jesus and offering themselves in prayer and praise to the Father.
But time does not stand still: new challenges of work and living emerge, and new conflicts of awareness and understanding emerge. God’s children live in a new culture with new needs. We are aware of our solar system and the choices and distractions of a computerized age, which bear gifts as well as distractions.
We know that what God created eons ago comes with tools for us to fulfill the corporeal and spiritual needs of a tribe wandering through the desert. So, we must love our Creator and the children wandering in the desert today. There are both old and new tools for us to use. The answers await in the Body and the Blood of Christ.
Let Us Pray:
Father in heaven—can I call you Daddy? I need a hug. I know you are right next to me, probably carrying me to my next assignment, but there are times when I need a hug. Thank you for the Eucharist; I don’t know what I’d do without it, my brother in me. Tell Spiritus Sanctus to keep my mouth shut when I need to and hug others when they need it. And thank you for calling my name. Amen.
