1st October 2021
Memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO US IN THE MOST ORDINARY WAYS
Baruch 1:15-21
Psalms 79
Luke 10:13-16
The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida did not appreciate the significance of Jesus among them; “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes” Luke10:13. Their expectations were too high, and were not able to recognize God’s presence and workings in their midst. They could not see God working in the simplicity of Jesus, the son of a carpenter.
We can rather be like them. We too can fail to see how the Lord is moving among us. His presence among us is expressed in very ordinary and unspectacular ways.
Jesus is present to us in and through each other; “Whoever listens to you listens to me” Luke 10:16. We don’t always notice his presence, though he is indeed gracing us in different ways. Jesus continues to speak to us through persons, events, nature, etc.
In the very ordinary and in the challenges of our daily living, this is where God finds us and where we touch the sacred and divine. Our temptation is often to believe that God can only be genuinely found in a perfect place, a place of holiness and peace, that we will only encounter God when the time and conditions are right. This belief is what prevents us from genuine encounter with the divine at every moment and in every situation of our lives.
Our most profound experiences of God are to be found in the everyday rhythms of our lives. God chooses to reveal His presence and love to us in the ordinary people and events of our lives. It might take the form of unexpected kindness that someone show us, an invitation that we had not expected, a word of appreciation or support at a time when it was needed, a positive and generous response to a request we make.
At evening, it can be good to look back over the day, to discern hints of our Lords gracious presence, and to quietly give thanks for that. Despite our busy schedule and preoccupation, it is important for us to be quite and listen to the voice of God that comes to us in various ways and at different moments.
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