Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 25 Aug 2024
Come closer but not too close!
The remarkable miracle of the Eucharist is that God wants to invite us to the table and be met body and soul. So often we find people asking whether people will notice if they are not there on Sunday and quietly slip away. There can be a sense that the profound intimacy offered by God goes stale when there seem to be so many other good things that we can partake of that seem to satisfy that deep longing in our hearts. Yet while we can be involved with many things there can be a sense of a deep emptiness that yearns to be filled. It is in this sense that we long for something or someone who will meet us and come close.
Jesus speaks of this in the crescendo of the reflections in John that disturb those who hear him. He wants to come close to us and be embraced by that divine love that is poured out for us. This is where God’s desire for us is often stronger than our response. It is the question that often can resonate in our own hearts about a life that is eternal. We can often be perplexed that we want to partake of this divine love but only rely on our human understanding. Yet this is where God meets us in our questions and our relationships that seek to manifest this divine love.
It is this encounter that can sustain us by holding us close and enveloping us in a loving embrace. God wants to hold our gaze and look upon us. This divine encounter allows us the greatest freedom to be who we are called to be. In each Eucharist, we discover a God who wants to hold us close and come closer. To fill us with a divine love that sustains and nurtures us. Our simple response is to be present and give thanks for such a profound gift that floods our world with life and light!
DE COLORES!
Fr. John Armstrong
“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)