The Community at Prayer
Reflection by Father Paul M. Baca
February 27, 2011, 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
See the readings
All my life I have relished meeting and talking to people who have a truly positive view of life. It has always been energizing for me to hear positive comments even in dark days. But you know, I often wondered when someone claimed that they had never had a bad day in their lives how really truthful they were. Because of the human condition I believe that at one time or another, and maybe more than once, they must have felt as did the prophet Isaiah when he wrote our first reading, "The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me." But then the prophet seems to bounce back as he continues, "Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she
forget, I will never forget you." So even in the darkest of times the prophet lived with an awareness and an assurance that God would never abandon him.
I wonder if we are as mindful of God's presence in our lives, not only on the good days but even when so much seems to be stacked against us. Perhaps it is with assurance of God's presence that the psalmist wrote the following verses, "Only in God is my soul at rest; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. I shall not be disturbed at all. Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope. He only is my rock and my foundation, my stronghold. I shall not be disturbed. With God as my safety and my glory, he is my rock and my strength; my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O my people. Pour out your hearts before him."
So many people that I have interacted with in my life remembered being betrayed by those they thought were friends for one reason or another. This disturbed them greatly and from time to time there were those who felt abandoned by God and failed to realize that the betrayers had made choices that were hurtful. As we reflect on this reading, I realized that we all develop means of coping with those difficult things, but it is never easy.
In the second reading St. Paul gives us some words of wisdom, "Thus should one regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself. I am not conscious of anything against me but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore do not make any judgments before the appointed time."
These readings helped me realize that our Christian way of life is very special and through a deep prayer life we have the opportunity of strengthening ourselves against unjust attacks and through that same prayer life, we receive the grace to cope with difficult times. And these unfortunate circumstances must never allow us to falter and feel abandoned by God.
Even in difficult times, if we really try, I am sure that all of us can remember the blessings of happier days and joys. This takes me back to the attitudes of those prefer to deal with life with the idea of a glass half full rather than half empty. In my priestly work I have found myself facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and then, words of encouragement from someone have convinced me that there were better days ahead if I trust in God and focus on my gifts rather
than the possible failures. Having been born at the end of 1924, I lived through The Great Depression and saw so many people losing or having lost, hope; and yet when things started to get better economically, I immediately started to see a little hope. All it took was a job and the realization that through that job, a dream could become a reality. I saw people change, seemingly overnight when what had seemed impossible, became a reality. A door had opened to new hope and before long people were buying a house, a car, and forming happy families.
I believe we can learn from our experiences, both good and bad, if we open our minds. I saw my Dad and Mom hurting so much at seeing people who had so much less that we had. The compassion that they felt had an impact on my life and that has made me very grateful for all my blessings, always looking for opportunities to share my blessings with those less fortunate.
In the gospel St. Matthew gives the very essence of a decision that we as Christians must make as the very basis of our life's journey, "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." When we serve God as we know him, as our loving mother and father, we automatically show our love for God by the love and loving concern that we have for one another. So as a result we stand by those around us for the best and worst of times. I have been blessed to have the best of friends around me in my darkest moments and the impossible became possible, and possible failure became success.