Together these readings remind me that our faith is not one in which we are seeking for things to get individually better, but that whatever we go through we’ll be in the love and care of God who in love also calls us to be with and for others in love. We are called outside our own anxieties and worries to see the love of God already active, to enter into that love, and to act in response to that love to God and others.
These readings also remind me of the recent readings of the Parable of the Sower and lessons about God rather than what is our temptation to think about what kind of soil we are (another reflection piece I saw pointed out it was not called the Parable of the Four Soils). The parable speaks of a Sower who sows without worrying about running out of seeds. In the gospel we see a presumably brokenhearted Jesus withdrawing after hearing of John’s death, who in his own sorrow is still moved to pity for the crowd and feeds them in health and food. There is a consistent message of a God of love who shares love and grace without end and beyond our needs, with enough left over to fill many baskets.
The invitation to all from Isaiah, and Paul’s letter showing that absolutely nothing separates us from the love of God emphasize this love-giving God. It sounds like the model of Christ for Christians is to bring what we have, even if it is only five loaves and two fish, and allow ourselves to be united with the love that God is so freely and wantonly shared with us all, and help others to see the love that is already being shared with all by God.
As St. Faustina said: Jezu ufam tobie (Jesus I trust in You).
Laura Roost
Dr. Roost does research on care ethics in transitional justice, ethnicized/racialized violence, human rights, international law, African philosophy, and civic engagement/service learning in the classroom. Roost is a Resident Assistant Professor and Internship Director in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, and currently serves as the Faculty Associate for Academic Service Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence. At the American Political Science Association (APSA), Roost has served on the executive council of the Political Science Education section, and on the board for the APSA Human Rights section. Roost earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with graduate specializations in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs (Ph.D.), and Women’s & Gender Studies (M.A).