St. Norbert's Church - Sunday Reflections

The first reading today, from the Prophet Isaiah, is so strong and comforting that we can use it to understand the other two readings today. God Himself is telling us through the Prophet: I will never forget you! Always I am thinking of you. Always I am loving you. We know how easy it is to believe that God pays no attention to us, that things happen by accident and that our prayers are useless. The Prophet Isaiah wants us to know that none of that is true. God wants us to know that He always is paying attention to us. He pays attention to each one of us individually and personally. Nothing ever happens by accident in our lives. Our prayers are always heard. God loves us completely.

If we look at the second reading today, from the First Letter to the Corinthians, we heard Saint Paul talking about judging others and even judging oneself. Paul is clear that God loves us. Thus we need not judge others. Even in our own lives, we sometimes judge ourselves - sometimes thinking that we are doing well and other times thinking that we have failed. These judgments are useless, Saint Paul tells us, because only God sees our hearts completely. We cannot see our own hearts.

None of this should cause us to stop trying to do good and trying to avoid evil. God invites us always to continue in that struggle. Yet, in that struggle, we must trust completely in the Lord. There are times when we kind of give up because we seem to be going nowhere. Paul tells us that it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. Trustworthy, in this case, means continuing in the struggle.

Finally we see God's love for us expressed in the Gospel of Matthew that is given to us today. Don't worry! Don't serve two masters. Seek God. God will provide all that you need. When we are without food, this is difficult to believe. When we are without money or any means to care for those we love, this is difficult to believe. When we ourselves or someone else we love is dying because of a lack of human resources, this is difficult to believe.

Yet once we begin to see the world with the eyes of God, placing ourselves in the mystery of His love, we are always able to see God at work in our lives. We are always able to see God's love.

The challenge of these readings for us today is to open our eyes and our hearts to the mysteries of faith. We are challenged first to believe that God always loves us, always provides for us, always in present, always hears our prayers. Once we choose to begin believing that, the way that we understand all that happens begins to change in our lives.

My sisters and brothers, let us walk in faith and know the love of God in our lives.