This first reading today makes me examine my purpose in life,
my values and what, in the end, is important. I look around and
wonder why people behave the way they do and why I make certain
decisions. What is the value of power, wealth, ambition and for
what good?
The reading states, “Why is light given to the toilers, and
life to the bitter in spirit?” And yet if it isn’t for
the light and the glimmer of hope how could any of us go on in this
very troubled world? Those in life, who fear life and incite fear
into others, fail to find the light/ the goodness/ the hidden treasures
in others and in the circumstances of life.
God invites us to open our eyes, to see His goodness all around
us and to embrace the goodness. When we fail to look for the “hidden
treasures”, the beauty in a situation or the beauty in our
environment the light of the path is not seen by us. God continues
to gather us in (hemming us in) to see the bounty of this life,
God’s love for us and God’s desire for us to have eternal
life with Him.
On first glance, the Psalm felt a little depressing. After reading
the Psalm again I felt that the Psalm was speaking to me about trust.
If we can feel the presence of God in our prayer and trust that
God is concerned about our over-all well being then we must continue
to cry out asking God to hear our prayer and to give us guidance.
Luke’s Gospel reminds me that just because people don’t
meet our expectations doesn’t mean we should condemn them.
God created all of us as unique individuals who have unique roles
to play in life. Maybe the people of the Samaritan village were
not to be the people holding a reception for Jesus; another village
was to take on that role. We can’t get discouraged when life
“appears to not go our way” - rather we need to stay
in relationship with God and Again, trust that events happen for
a reason. We need to be people with prayerful hope who do not incite
fear but rather trust that God will lead us to our destinations.