Licentia vestra | Your liberty

Not all have this knowledge - 1 Corinthians 8:7.

Learning is a lifelong journey. We begin at home, continue through schools and universities, read countless books and articles, and listen to wise teachers. As Christians, we also draw knowledge from the Holy Scriptures. Yet sometimes we fear we don't truly understand anything at all.

The essential knowledge we need is Jesus Christ himself. The Church Fathers—saints like Ambrose and Athanasius—dedicated their entire lives to contemplating the divine Word, the Son of God. Their writings reveal to us the one who was both God and man. Nearly every paragraph in their works shows us the person of the beloved Son of God the Father.

In our own lives today, do we possess this same knowledge? Do we focus on Jesus Christ with our whole heart and mind? Certainly, we have many responsibilities: family, work, providing food and shelter, and countless other concerns. Many people naturally concentrate on these matters—what we might call earthly concerns. The problem arises when we fail to find genuine time to think, speak, and read about the Son of God, even though we profess that he is the most important person in our lives.

When others observe you and your knowledge—that is, your relationship with Jesus Christ—what do they say about you as a Christian? Perhaps it's difficult for others to recognize the Son of God in your life because of how you behave. Perhaps you pay more attention to food than to Scripture. You might be an expert in your professional field, but are you growing in theological understanding?

Every Christian is called to possess this knowledge of Jesus Christ. Through your knowledge and witness, those who are weak in faith can be brought to sanctification and salvation. The brothers and sisters for whom Christ died are looking for your testimony of life.

Please don't think of yourself merely as a sinner—you are also God's adopted child. Even when you make mistakes in daily life, you can always return to Jesus through the Holy Scriptures. You can listen to his voice as the Divine Word teaches you how to worship the Lord. Open the Bible and feed your soul with true words of wisdom.

Then you will become not only a student, but also a teacher for those who lack this knowledge of Christ. In this way, you fulfill your calling to share the greatest knowledge of all—the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 by Józef Trzebuniak

(Listen to podcast here)

Misericordia| Compassion

“Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” – Mark 6:34

 

Photo by Kumar Kranti Prasad on Pexels.com

Jesus Christ and the disciples needed to take some rest in a remote place after a very busy time of working and teaching. However, this was not possible since the crowds followed them and ran ahead to where they were going.

Despite needing rest, Jesus Christ still had compassion for the people and didn’t put His needs first. He continued to teach them and heal them from their illnesses.

The disciples were quite eager to send the crowds away. But Jesus didn’t send them away. By sending them away would have been like in James 2:16 - “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?”  Jesus couldn’t teach them and then just send them away without any food. Instead, He asked the disciples to bring whatever food they had.

What stand out here is that the disciples had to bring what they had. We must use what God has already given us, even if it is not the ideal number, place or something we imagine it should be. God will provide the rest.

Reflecting on this passage, I realized again that Jesus had days where there was not even time to eat. This comforts me in times when our schedules are also very packed and hectic.

What life-changing experience it must have been to be part of that crowd on that specific day!

 Reflection on Mark 6: 30 – 39 by Hanne Teach

(Listen to the Podcast here)

Venite ad aquas (Is. 55:1)

Since November I have started studying the Book of Changes, also known as the I Ching. I have read a lot of articles and watched a lot of YouTube videos that discuss it. What is it all about? The I Ching or Yi Jing, usually translated as the book of changes or the classic of changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text. And in our world today, many people use it to predict what to expect in their various undertakings or enterprises. Some even use it confusedly to read the future, which leads them to astrology and many forms of spiritual activity and New Age religions. Yes, it is true that physical hunger is a very real fact of life, especially in poor countries, but spiritual hunger is just as real. As a result of my study, I will say that there are millions of people who are spiritually malnourished. Many of the symptoms of spiritual hunger can be seen here in Europe and around the world. Today we see spiritually hungry people looking for food of their soul outside the church. They are looking for solutions to their problems in astrology and geomancy. This leads them to believe that the position of the stars has something to do with their daily life. And so, the media, in many newspapers, feed them with a daily horoscope. This is an indication that people are looking for something transcendent; they are looking for guidance from a force that goes beyond themself. That is why many Europeans and Americans practice transcendental meditation through exotic yoga or other unknown practices. This indicates our human need for interacting with God. We need a rich and solid spiritual food that comes from our God. And the Church comes to us and points where this spiritual food is found. 

That is why today’s gospel tells us that more than 5,000 people have been fed to their fullest satisfaction: “They all ate as much as they wanted.” That sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But it is Jesus Himself who opens his hand wide. And so, like the psalmist, I will say: “You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145: 16). This is why I ask myself: why are we still going somewhere else for spiritual nourishment? Meanwhile, we meet someone who has the power to give us food, anything we want. And no money needed. As the Lord invites us in the first reading: “Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!” (Isaiah 55). Hence, each soul that loves wholeheartedly is fed with God’s own flesh and blood in the form of bread and wine on this holy table. So, it is left to us to believe and trust that our Lord Jesus Christ is absolute that we can rely on unconditionally. If God cannot feed us to our satisfaction, it will most likely depend on us. We are reminded today that as Christians we do the best if we live out of our lives in fullness in Christ and not for our egos and wants. We must, therefore, learn to surrender ourselves to Christ even when darkness seems to override our dreams of doing God’s will. God is always there for us no matter what happens, no matter what our life situations are. The reality is that when we are in pain, grief, distress, and feel abandoned, we recognize our need for God more clearly. These are the moments when the grace of God can work through us to help other people and to satisfy the hunger of the heart and mind. They may not be spectacular miracles, but these are the things we can do to give meaning to our lives. Even then, Jesus, who is God, took the time to go alone to an abandoned place. He knew that he had to get rid of all the insults, false accusations, imagination, and fear. Before we taste the fullness that God gave us through Christ, we are invited to go to our abandoned place. We are invited to come to a place of hunger. We are called at a time of separation so that we can focus on who and what we have. And so, we ask ourselves: What are my needs, my hunger?

God wants us to eat to our satisfaction, then He can send us to feed others. Because a hungry person cannot feed another hungry person, just as a blind person cannot lead another. So, we must take and eat the food that God gives us every day. And after that, we can go out and take care of the hungry crowd. Let us, therefore, let Jesus fill us with his eternal food. Let us allow Him to fill us with love and kindness. Let us give him the chance to feed everything we need.

By Fr. Ouwakpare Victorin Oussoi, SVD.