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 virus, or distress over a hurricane, or persecution by a political structure, or nakedness of our sin, or peril from unemployment, or the sword of death? Even death brings us to the love of Christ “to all who call upon him in truth”.
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. How are we to “listen, that you may have life”? We must first receive him in order to listen to him. The Lord is inviting us to “come to the water!” The first act of love and truth is through the water of baptism. “Without cost” we are invited to receive him the true bread of life who does “satisfy” and 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, 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.”
Five loaves and two fish feed five thousand plus. Really! Yes, really for “Heed me, and you shall eat well” says the Lord who is near. “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”. 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, with 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.
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