Today’s first reading reminds me of Dear Evan Hansen, one of my favorite musicals. Although I have never seen it live, I absolutely love the music. Some of my favorite lyrics are, “Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever felt like you could disappear? Like you could fall, and no one would hear? Well, let that lonely feeling wash away. Maybe there’s a reason to believe you’ll be okay. ‘Cause when you don’t feel strong enough to stand, you can reach, reach out your hand.”
This song reminds me of that picture of Jesus reaching his hand into the water to grab Peter and prevent him from sinking. We all have the desire to feel seen and heard. We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. These desires though, which are common among every culture, seem to present a problem. The problem is that oftentimes we try to do it all on our own and realize our weakness very quickly. Peter, who in today’s Gospel was chosen by Jesus as one of the Twelve apostles, wanted to be seen and heard. He wanted to be a part of something much bigger than himself and when he trusted Jesus he was able to do just that.
When we try to do supernatural things by our own power it does not go well, but when we trust in Jesus, as the first reading states, we become “members of the household of God”. When that happens, we can do things that we never thought would be possible. Take the concept of seeing for example. Do we really ever actually see someone? We can see their body, what they do for work, how they dress, or what kind of car they drive. But do we ever actually see their personhood? God is the one who can see us just as we are. He sees everything about us and loves us through it. If that is how we want to be seen and how we should be viewing others, then we need grace.
Let’s ask for the grace today and always to see others as God sees them. Let’s ask for the power necessary to fulfill the specific vocation that God has planned for us. Let’s ask for the power to truly love those we come into contact with that society has cast out. The more we ask for this grace, the more we become members of the family of God and the more we truly see. If this sounds frightening, our assures us that “Christ Jesus himself is the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together.” And may I remind you of the words I quoted in the beginning, “When you don’t feel strong enough to stand, you can reach, reach out your hand.”
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Daily Reading
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Reading 1 Eph 2:19-22 Brothers and sisters:You are no longer strangers and sojourners,but you are fellow citizens with the holy onesand members of the household of God, built upon the…
Saint of the Day
Saint Simon the Zealot, Apostle
Saint Simon the Zealot, one of the twelve apostles, is celebrated for his fervent faith and missionary work in regions including Egypt and Persia.
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