Perth Huron Crossroads Catholic Ministry

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Today’s Reflection : How many loaves do you have? (Mark 8:5) If only . . . It can be frustrating to think that there is only so much you can do for the people you love. If only I had more time. If only I lived closer. If only I had more energy.... This is not unique to our time. In today’s Gospel reading, we see that Jesus is concerned for the people who have been with him for three days. If I send them away hungry to their homes, he tells his disciples, they will collapse on the way (Mark 8:3). You can imagine the thoughts that must have been going through the disciples’ minds: If only we had dismissed the crowd sooner. If only we had more food on hand. If only Jesus didn’t spend so much time teaching them. But Jesus overcame their objections with a deep faith that his Father could take what little they had and work a miracle with it. He passed out the loaves and the fishes and was able to feed all four thousandand collect baskets full of leftovers! The reality is that we will always have to battle that if only way of thinking. We will always want to do more than we are capable of doing. It’s just human nature. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing something. Determination to use whatever we have and the faith that God will bless our effortsthose are the weapons we can use whenever we face our own if only doubts. Even giving just a little time or effort is better than doing nothing! You may not have time to go visit someone, but you can always write them an email or a quick text message. Perhaps you can’t volunteer in person, but you can always call to see if there’s anything else you can do to help. Maybe you don’t have time to prepare a meal for someone, but you can always drop off some extra groceries. Remember today’s story of the loaves and the fish whenever you are facing an if only situation. If you give what little you have, Jesus will find a way to multiply it beyond your expectations! Jesus, help me find ways to do what I can with what I have.

Today’s Reflection : People brought to him a deaf man. (Mark 7:32) If you were a movie director filming this scene, you might focus on Jesus and how amazing this miracle was. But a more interesting focus might be the people who brought the man to Jesus. What were they doing just moments before? You can imagine them learning that Jesus was in town. They lead their friend through the crowd, right up to Jesus. One of them gets down on his knees and pleads, Jesus, I have heard t...hat you can perform great miracles. Please, help our friend. A scene like that would highlight the fact that Jesus didn’t just walk up out of the blue and heal this man. His friends brought him to Jesus. Their faith gave them the courage to ask Jesus to heal him. We don’t know how much faith they had. The important thing is that it was enough to ask Jesus for help. When you hear a miracle story like this, remember that it didn’t happen only because of God’s stupendous power. Certainly God can do incredible things beyond your power even to imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He is the One who heals; your faith doesn’t force his hand. But he does invite you to play a role in those miracles. He invites you to exercise your faith by bringing your needs to him. You don’t need extraordinary faith, just enough to trust the Lord and ask him to act. Our heavenly Father loves it when we trust him. He wants to give his children good thingsand not only good things. Sometimes he wants to give us miracles. So take him at his word! Ask him for the healing of a loved one. Ask him for your own healing. Ask him to intervene in a situation that seems hopeless. And leave the results to him, trusting that he will do what is best. Most importantly, don’t think that your faith is too weak for God to care about you. Exercise the faith you have and believe that God can work. Keep asking him for what you need. It’s not that he requires your extra prayers to actbut you need them, to stretch your faith and to grow closer to him. Lord, I believe you can do the impossible. Please give me the faith to ask for it!

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Today’s Refelection : Solomon had not obeyed him. (1 Kings 11:10) Early in his reign, King Solomon had a dream in which God told him to ask for anything. When Solomon requested wisdom, God was greatly pleased and promised to give Solomon a heart so wise and discerning that there has never been anyone like you (1 Kings 3:12).... So looking at today’s first reading, you might wonder, What happened to the wisest man who ever lived? In the world’s eyes, Solomon was a success. He undertook many publics works projects, increased trade, and formed favorable political alliances, all the time increasing Israel’s power and influence. But God looks at the heart, and he didn’t like what he saw in Solomon’s. By the end of Solomon’s life, corruption had set in. The man who had once built a fabulous Temple for the Lord was now building temples to false gods all over Israel. At the same time, other gods had taken hold of Solomon’s life. Wealth, power, and his numerous wives and concubines became more important to him than God. When commenting on this reading, Pope Francis noted that Solomon’s weakness of the heart was a slow journey that slides along step by step. Francis warns that this gradual distancing from God is something that can happen to any of us as well. You don’t even realize it, but slowly you slip (Homily, February 13, 2020). It’s interesting that we don’t hear any response from Solomon when God expresses his displeasure with how he is living (1 Kings 11:14-40). It seems that despite all his wisdom, Solomon never confessed his sins. He never sought to repair his relationship with the Lord or tried to undo the damage he had caused to God’s people. How can we avoid falling into the same trap as Solomon? Pope Francis urges us to stay alert for the grace to understand when our heart begins to weaken and to slide. By keeping ourselves focused on God’s presence, we will become more aware of when we start slipping away from him. Then, with a simple prayer of repentance and surrender, we can find the strength to stand fast. Lord, keep me alert to your presence so that I won’t give in to sin.