Readings:
1 Kings 8:1–7, 9-13
Mark 6:53 – 56
Reflection
Most people who practice the faith do so because they hope that having God in their lives gives them some advantage in the face of the suffering of life. When we suffer, or when those we love are suffering, like the people in today’s Gospel, we bring them to God in prayer because, in our powerlessness, we hope that God can bring about healing where we can’t. The problem we face when we do so is that, because life is short, we don’t want to wait for healing to come over time. We want it immediately, miraculously, and when it fails to happen that way, we feel like God is lost in a cloud, like in the first reading, and has let us down. That is the way it happens for me, and yet, almost all that I have asked God to heal in me has happened over time, the process of course included seeing doctors or physios, and using medications. Paula Darcy said, “God comes to you disguised as your life.”
Fr. Ray Sanchez CP is the leader of the Oxley community and is responsible for Parish Missions and Retreats throughout Australia and NZ.