The Introduction
Being hungry is not a virtue. If it were, the poor would all be holy, and the rich would all be evil. But that’s obviously not true. The state of our hearts can’t be measured by the size of our wallets. But the condition of our hearts CAN be measured by our willingness to share what we have. When we seek to alleviate the distress of those in need, we do two things right. We lift up someone locked down by hunger so that he or she might rise to a greater and fuller life. And we also expand our hearts through the practice of generosity so that we might experience “the food that endures for eternal life”. It’s a win-win situation. For as long as we work only for the food that perishes and hoard that for ourselves, we prolong the misery of the world and will not know the joy that belongs to those whose hearts are free to give.
When have you been the recipient of someone’s generosity in sharing time, warmth, or food with you?
How can you share those things with those in need, near or far?
Take a refresher course in the corporal works of mercy: Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Clothe the naked. Shelter the homeless. Visit the sick. Visit the imprisoned. Reflect on ways to participate in these works regularly.
“I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever”.
The Scripture (John 6:29-31)
Jesus said, “Throw your lot in with the One that God has sent. That kind of commitment gets you in on God’s works”. They waffled: “Why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going on? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
The Story – The Work at Work: The Work of God
Each of us who is not independently wealthy wakes up and, in one way or another, tries to do exactly what Jesus tells us not to do: work for food that perishes. Not that Jesus has anything against earning a living and feeding ourselves and our families. But that should not be where our energy goes. It should go toward doing the work of God, which, we are told, is to believe in the one God sent. That is our full-time job; every other duty in our lives falls under this responsibility.
Here’s a sign of how that plays out: Joe Bonadies spent most of his life as the head groundskeeper at a small Midwestern Catholic college. He worked with a ragtag group of guys who all seemed to be running away from something. He trained them well and expected nothing less than excellence. But he never said that. He showed it by the care he took with every task, pruning bushes, planting flowers, shovelling walks, working in the greenhouse, taking coffee breaks with the motley crew, and sharing stories and jokes over a midday meal.
He was a really happy man, quietly tending to his giant garden every day. He was never late and never sick, but he left at 3 p.m. without fail to get home to his tiny house bursting at the seams with his wife and six kids, whom he adored and saw flourish under his care.
The Reflection
Throughout our world there are people who seem to have to fill their lives with food, with things or with activity. No matter how much they get, they are still not satisfied. When people say they are bored, it is usually when they have plenty happening around them but they recognise emptiness within. Bored means having a hole drilled in you. There is something in you that things cannot fill, no matter how you stuff yourself or your days. Nothing else will really fill the space God created within us. In each of us there is a space for the eternal and nothing less than the eternal God can fill it.
The Commissioning
We leave this place as God’s partners.
Together we will face the old challenges;
together we will face the new realities;
together we will move forward without fear;
together we will bring peace and experience peace.
We go out in partnership with you, O God.
Amen
GPBS © (2024)