Understanding God’s Call: Where Are You?

Greetings on this the Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Genesis 3:9-24; Psalm 90:2, 3-4abc, 5-6, 12-13; Mark 8:1-10

Summary

The LORD God called to Adam and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."

The question the Lord posed to Adam remains the question of the day. Where are you?

Where are you in relation to the Lord? The question isn’t from a deficit of the Lord not knowing. It is in our fear of being known because we define ourselves by our errors as Adam did in the Genesis portion today.

Reflection

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!

There is only love and the need for love and to become love. The pity — feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others — is an appeal to the divine help us see aright, to gain this wisdom to our very core.

Personal Reflection

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,
Jesus summoned the disciples and said,
"My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.

Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish.
He said the blessing over them
and ordered them distributed also.
They ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.

Jesus shows the pity (sorrow and compassion) of the Lord. The people need him and he response with superabundant food from very little. All the Divine needs is our cooperation to help us become known and be known. Where are we? Are we hiding? Are we running into the loving embrace?

Being Found

Do you remember playing hide-and-seek when you were little? For the parents it can be so joyful. We’d hide, yes, but our feet would show under the curtain or our head as we peeked around the side of the door. We playfully hid and the parents playfully found us.

Be found. Be known. Be filled with joy.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021525.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry