Reflection on Today's Readings, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, July 25th, 2021
Texts: 2 Kings 4:42-44; Ps. 145:10-11.15-18; Eph. 4:1-6; John 6: 1-15
It is said in today's first reading thus: _"And they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord."_ When God has spoken, it is settled. What the Lord has said does not need to sound sensible to the reason, it is so shall it be. Put differently, to the words of the Lord is amen, amen. We are invited, today, to trust in God's word. We are to obey and live according to the word of God. Many a time we think we have little without thinking of what God is achieving with the little we have. We think much of what is at hand and lose sight of what God is doing with what is at hand. We will always think that we are poor if we continue to look at what is at hand without thinking of what God is doing with it. We will also go astray soon, if we do not consider the grace of God at work in us. Let us live according to God's word and we will live in abundance with little. Little does not count before God.
Today's readings teach us that we must have the capacity to embrace the impossible if we are to experience the wonder of God. In the first reading, the servant says, _“How am I to set this before a hundred men?”_ In the gospel reading, it is said, _“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?”_ If we always continue to hold on to what is possible according to reason we will not be able to journey with God. When the words of God say love your enemies, do not say it is not possible but do it. When the Lord says forgive and forget, do not say it is not possible but just attempt it. When the Lord says vengeance belongs to Him, do not mind the pain of loss but just leave the vengeance to him. When the Lord says be chaste, do not say it is not possible but just attempt it.
Many a time we see the impossible in the words of God and we say God understands and then we go by our own way. We say God understands and so we abandon His words and go by our own way. That has been our way of life: abandoning God's word to follow our own way. It is a devil's way of leading us astray. God, who has instructed us to do so, knows that we can do it by His grace. The impossible we see is there so that when we do it we will know that it is not by our power but by His grace. The impossible, which suppose to make us realise the grace of God, has become a stumbling block for us. When we continue to say that God understands, we continue in the sinful act until our willpower is broken and we are lost. Another thing that is also at risk is our contrite heart. We lose sense of remorse for sinful acts when we continue to say God understands. Once we lose sense of remorse, we have closed the door for forgiveness and mercy. Even when we come for confession for such sinful act, we will not feel remorse. Forgiveness begins with contrite heart.
Let us know that God only understands we cannot do it by our own power but by His grace which He has abundantly poured on us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Since He has given us His grace we have no excuse any longer. Let us obey and live according to His words and we will experience His glory and mighty deeds and also speak of them. Let us keep His words and we will know that He opens hands and satisfy the desire of every living thing. He is generous in giving His grace and in providing for our needs.
Today we are reminded that God can multiply the little we have to yield abundance. This tells us not to abandon God in search of wealth. We may not have in large quantities but the little we have with God's blessing will move mountains. When God is on our side, we can do much more than people who have much without God on their side. With twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain, Elisha fed hundred men and yet still had leftover. With five loaves of barley and two fish, Jesus fed five thousand men and had a leftover of twelve baskets. No one will hear this and we not know that it was the Lord's doing. What two hundred denarri of bread would not do, five loaves of barley and two fish did it with leftover. The leftover was more than what was blessed. By this God has proved to us that with Him we are more than mighty, we are more than taken care of. With God we live in abundance. However, we do not feel the effects of His mighty deeds in our lives because we do not follow His words.
St. Paul, in today's second reading, bid us to live according to our calling in Christ. He says, _"I, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."_ He reminds us that lowliness, meekness, patience, perseverance in love of one another, and unity are needed to live according to our calling. We are to be humble, patient, love one another and work for peace.
May Your word, O Lord, dwell in our hearts richly, that we may live in abundance, and help to always consider the power of Your grace at work in us. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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