Get started today
The interesting thing in today Gospel is, that Jesus is not looking for anyone. He went to the top of the mountain and "sat" there, and a crowd with the retinue of the suffering comes to Him. Jesus, seeing the determination of the crowd, begins to heal all their ailments, and when he has completed the work of healing, He multiplies the bread and satisfies the hunger of the gathered people. Why he is doing this? Nobody expected that! And yet! When we are looking for Jesus, we get much, much, more. More than we expect. This is what the heroes of today's Gospel have experienced.
I wish to be there. See how the mute speak, the blind sees, the lame walk and all the sick recover. While tasting the bread multiplied by Jesus, I would like to feel this carelessness. It would be a bit like in paradise. No human anger, no worries about daily living, no suffering, no death. Yes, I would like this! I know that as long as I live on this earth it is impossible, that I have to deal with my fate, even though I have less and less strength. But what happened two thousand years ago in Galilee gives me hope that it will be better someday. That God wants – for me, for you and for everyone to give a happy eternity. We are aiming for a life in which the Father will wipe every tear from our eyes, in which there will be no mourning, no screaming, and no hardship. This is our hope. And let us stick to it.
Advent invites us to be determined to seek a God who will heal anyone not by force. There must be our personal commitment, a personal desire to meet Jesus, that He may touch us with grace. Just as the sick in the Gospels had someone to provide them help to get to the top of the mount, we ourselves must take care not to sleep through Advent. We must once again fight to meet Jesus, whether in prayer, at the Eucharist, in the confessional, or in another human being. Remember, however, that nobody will do it for us. Everything depends on us.
If you take the risk of going to the top of the mount! If you take the efforts to live the Advent season and find a space to meet Jesus, you will receive much more than you expect. So, do not waste your time! Get started today.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george