Is. 55:1-3; Ps. 145:8-9, 15-18; Rom. 8:35, 37-39; Mt. 14:13-21
“What will separate us from the love of Christ?” Will anguish over a disease, or distress over family, or persecution by a political structure, or the spiritual famine for lack of love or the nakedness of our sin, or peril from injustice, or the sword of death? Even death brings us to the love of Christ “to all who call upon him in truth”. Pride leads us away from Christ like the story of the prodigal son demanding what he felt entitled to when in reality everything we are and have is from God.
God is love in his truth not ours. Recently the media reported that asexual dolls have been created with sexual body parts that can be exchanged to create the sexual identity the child wishes identify with. These dolls are for children as young as four years of age. It promotes the transexual culture and intended for use in publicly funded education. To deny science and reason is the kingdom of evil doers let alone the truth given by God that is our faith. This is how we separate ourselves from the kingdom of God. The love of Christ is a gift not an entitlement and to mutilate our bodies is to damage our souls and our relationship with God.
Truth is the path of love and to love God with all our heart and soul is the first truth of life. To “heed” him in truth is the sign of our love. Love is an active obedience to the will of God. Jesus had a “thirst” on the cross and he is inviting us who have the same thirst to “come to the water”. Jesus’ thirst was for righteousness and we receive his righteousness through the water of baptism. He is a generous God “without paying and without cost” he provides for us when we heed him. We become members of the renewal “the everlasting covenant, the benefits of David.”
Having received him in water we can now listen to him in spirit as he speaks to us through his Word, through the bread that satisfies in the Eucharist, in all the sacraments and through the church meaning the magisterium of the church and the people of the church. “The Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth.” The love of Christ is everlasting. Does this imply that all are going to heaven? Recalling last week’s gospel parable of the “seed” as children of the kingdom and “weeds” as the children of the evil one, God’s care for all is not a predestination for all to go to heaven. “Evil doers” and “all who cause others to sin” will send themselves into the “fiery furnace” because we heard but did not listen.
Today the gospel demonstrates the power of God when we come to him who can satisfy our need. Five loaves and two fish feed five thousand plus. Really! Yes, it is not a hyperbole but a reality in preparation for the sacrifice of his body and blood on the cross to become the true food from heaven remaining with us in the Eucharist. In Christ and through Christ he is the one who satisfies our hunger and meets our needs of body and soul. “Heed me, and you shall eat well” says the Lord who is near to us.
“Why spend your money…for what fails to satisfy?” says the Lord. In a highly commercialized world where everything becomes a “need” to satisfy nothing lasts except a continued “need”. The world is in a famine for the Truth that lasts. Every other worldly pleasure or pseudo-spirituality has failed humanity because it comes from the ego to be our own God. Today there is a rise in young people in search for something more than what the world and the culture have created. Truth is God satisfies! He is our peace as we heed his voice and follow his truth.
What separates us from the love of Christ is when we fail to heed him, we separate ourselves denying him as we deny his word and fail to listen in Spirit and truth. Consider how many times God was ready to respond with his love if only we followed his command, “Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life”. The “I” of our ego kept us from him and the pride of our heart wanted to do it “our way” as he waited for us to call upon him, we denied him once again.
Come and be satisfied at the waters of life, at the bread of salvation in the Eucharist, and the Word of truth in scripture and remain in his presence. The goodness of the Lord is everlasting and today he invites us to receive what satisfies the longing of our hearts and the needs of our being. Come to the love of Christ.
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