Saturday, February 8, 2014
Feast of Saint Jerome Emiliani
Todays Reading
1 Kings 3:4-13
Ps 119:9-14
Mark 6:30-34
“When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them.” (Mark 6:34)
Ask something of me and I will give it to you. (1 Kings 3:5)
Something. Anything. Just ask Through Jesus and it’s yours
Meditation from Terry A. Modica, The Word Amongst us and Mary Lorelie Vicedo Aquino
Solomon had recently inherited the throne from his father, David, and had just finished shoring up his power. But he knew that he still had to show the people that he could be trusted as their new king. So he went to the shrine of the Lord at Gibeon to pray.
As Solomon offered his sacrifices and prayers, God made him a generous offer: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you” (1 Kings 3:5). Something. Anything. Just ask, and it’s yours. Surely this must have overwhelmed the new king! Moved by such generosity, Solomon asked for the one thing that he knew he needed: an “understanding heart” that was open to God’s guidance (3:9).
In today’s Gospel reading, we see a similar drama played out. Eager to see Jesus, crowds of people ran ahead of him so that they could be ready for him when he arrived. When he saw them, Jesus was deeply moved, and he spent hours teaching them. He had wanted to get away and rest with his disciples, but he knew how important his words were to the people, so he gave of himself, offering them not only his words but heavenly food as well. As his Father had done with Solomon, Jesus committed himself to giving the people what they truly needed and longed for.
Even today, Jesus is still saying, “Ask me for whatever you need.” But before you pull out your list, take some time to remember who he is and what he has already done in your life. He is holy and perfect. He has called you to be his child. He has cleansed and forgiven you. He longs to draw you close to his heart and fill you with his grace.
It’s a reminder for all of us to live consciously, with our eyes open to what God is doing, what God is showing us, teaching us and what is happening beyond the view of what is visible in our world, the circumstantial evidence that can lead us astray into distrusting God’s word and his methods, or into turning away from people whom I dislike although Jesus says, “Love your enemy” (Matthew 5:43-45).
We were all created in the image and likeness of God. But how can we see the goodness in others, especially those who cause problems (and isn’t that everyone at some time or other?), when we cannot see the goodness – the image of God himself – in them? And how can we see them through the eyes of Jesus when we cannot see God actively working as our good and loving and protective Lord?
We first have to wake up to the reality of who God really is. This doesn’t happen naturally. We naturally tend to place limitations on God, envisioning him as less powerful and less caring and less involved than he really is, because we have finite brains with limited perceptions of reality.
So, we need to learn to live our Christian faith consciously. In other words, we need to believe with our whole mind and soul and heart that the promises of God in his scriptural Word are true and that the faith expressed in worship songs are lessons in truth.
Ponder these truths. Let them bring forth praise from our lips. Let them soften our hearts so that you begin desiring his plans and his ways over your own. Fix our eyes on him, and find our needs shifting and our dreams coming into alignment with his dreams. Then go ahead, and ask anything of the Lord. He will answer!
Prayer of the Soul
“Jesus, come and be my shepherd. In you I have everything. I lay my life before you and ask you to help me desire what you desire. Father, I come and surrender to you my life, the lives of everyone I am praying for, the lives of everyone who pray with me. Our dearest Father, we surrender to you the imperfections of our lives so you can make us perfect for you. Come to us and lead us to the life you wanted for all of us. Father you said, ask and believe that you will grant it according to yoru will. Father we accept and we believe in your love and your mercy upon us. Let the abundance of your gifts be upon us as we claim today we are the son and daughter of our Father in heaven and we claim our inheritance from him now and forever. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the angels and saints. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. ”
Ask and you shall receive… believe and accept…
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