A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings

Genesis 46:1-7,28-34

My parents speak to me about death quite often these days. The older and older they get, death feels closer and closer to their doorstep. I only hope that they know that I love them, and I desire to be there for them in their final moments as they close their eyes in this world and open their eyes in the next. When Jacob set out on his journey to Egypt, he was old and gray. We are told that God spoke to him in visions. God assured him that there was nothing to be afraid about. God promised to go down to Egypt with Jacob and bring him back again to his homeland. God even comforted Jacob with the insight that Joseph, the son whom he thought had died but was now alive, would use his own hand to close Jacob’s eyes. When Jacob was near Egypt, Joseph rushed to meet his father, presented himself to him, fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. The years they had spent apart seemed like forever but now nothing would separate them - except death. Jacob realized his time on earth was limited, and he said to Joseph - "I can die now, having seen for myself that you are still alive." The reality of life’s greatest joy (reconciliation and reunion) and life’s greatest enemy (death) had sunk in. Both Jacob and Joseph were at peace with the reality of their situation. Are we scared to die? In what capacity have we served as a caregiver for others, and what does it feel like knowing that we might have to let go of the person we love sooner than what we would like? Other than death, what difficult experiences or past traumas are we trying to run away from? How might we find peace by facing our fears and anxieties about life and trusting God with whatever tomorrow may hold for us? Reflect on how accepting the truth sets us free to live life in abundance.

1 Corinthians 9:1-15

Whose life have we impacted in a positive way? In the light of Christ’s glory, the Apostle Paul did not feel the need to promote himself. He was confident that those who engaged with him were positively impacted by love for Jesus Christ. They were the seal of his apostleship, and his defense to those who would question him. Paul’s ministry was grounded in a hope that was rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul knew that if he sowed good spiritual seed, then he would bear good spiritual fruit. There was no need for Paul to feel ashamed in getting his living by the gospel yet he still refused to profit off of the gospel. Paul made it very clear - “Indeed, I would rather die than (profit off of the gospel) - no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting!” In what ways have we as Christians monopolized the gospel or commodified the church in order to selfishly support our life of luxury? Are we positively impacting others through our self-sacrifice or are we taking advantage of others under the guise of religion? There will come a day when we all have to give an account to God for how we lived our life and how we served the least and the lost in this world. How might this reality change how we use God’s precious gifts and how we view those who place their trust in us?

Mark 6:30-46

Have you ever done something that you are so proud about that you could not wait to tell someone? This may have been what the apostles felt. In their excitement, they had gathered around Jesus and proudly told him all that they had done and taught. If it was us, then we might have naturally expected Jesus to fill our egos with compliments and worldly praise and maybe even throw in a bonus pay raise or send us on an awesome paid vacation to Hawaii. Jesus did, in fact, recognize their hard work, appreciate them for their labor, and acknowledge the stress that they must have been feeling. However, a bonus pay raise and a paid vacation to Hawaii were not in the cards. On the contrary, Jesus led them away to a deserted place to rest a while for he realized that the apostles had no leisure even to eat. Yet, even there in that deserted place, the crowds saw the apostles going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of the apostles. As they came ashore, Jesus saw the great crowd, and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. The apostles could not catch a break. In some ways it may have felt like “no good deed goes unpunished.” The good work that the apostles were doing was causing people to expect more and more good things from them. If we are honest, then, sometimes, this can feel like a punishment.

Now we know that it was not only the apostles who had been serving the people but also Jesus. Who was there to recognize Jesus’ hard work, appreciate Jesus for his labor, and acknowledge the stress that he must have been feeling? Regardless of how tired Jesus must have been, he still put the needs of the people before his own. In this way, Jesus modeled perfect leadership. We are told that when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat." But feeling compassion for the crowd, Jesus answered them, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" What was Jesus supposed to say? On one hand, he clearly understood that the apostles had limited energy and resources but on the other hand, he wanted the apostles to understand that God’s energy and resources are unlimited. To drive home this lesson to the apostles, Jesus said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." When they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. Everyone ate and was filled; moreover, they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. Name one or two people in your life who have made self-sacrifices to put your needs before their own. How have you shown your gratitude to them? When you feel pushed to the limit, what practical steps do you take to pull from the unlimited energy and resources of God? What criteria do you use to determine whether you need to practice self-sacrifice in serving the crowd or self-care in dismissing the crowd?

To God be the glory now and forever. Amen.

Fr. Thomas+