The Church Moves Across The Water Feeling Alone. Lessons for Our Own Spirituality!

The Church Moves Across The Water Feeling Alone. Lessons for Our Own Spirituality! The first reading (not included within this audio, is very instructive on how the Church moves forward. No one in the ancient times was more vulnerable than a widow. Without the support of a husband, and often with small children, a widow was vulnerable. As the Church began to grow in numbers, many of them were widows. But the Church could not tend to all of them. For a small segment of the Church, there was an opportunity for neglect or simply an oversight. The complaint is raised to the Apostles. The Greek widows are being neglected. The Apostles recognize they cannot do everything by ourselves. These men, personally called by Jesus, and govern the community, also recognize as the community grows, there is more work than they can handle. They cannot do or fix everything. They turn to the community and ask the community to solve it. The opportunity for complaining, now changes and requires the community to step forward to help fix the issue. This is the recognition of the order of Deacons. It is also the recognition of another vocation by the Apostles. The Apostles ask the community to look among themselves and choose people of high quality to assist in providing a solution. Listen more within the Homily and listen to this example of the early Church at work. Hear how God calls some of us to service within His Church. The Lord Approaches the Disciples In today’s Gospel we hear about the Lord walking on water. The disciples are in the boat, as night settles upon the seas. They are alone. Jesus is not physically with them. This is the image of the Church. A boat on the sea. On the sea, every boat is tiny and vulnerable. Note the image. The body of Christ is on the move to get to the other side of the sea. The only way to get to the other side is to get in the boat, which carries them forward. In scripture, water is a complicated reality. We tend to think water is always good. But that is not the case in scripture. Water can be destructive (ie; the great flood). In the Bible, the only one who is capable of controlling water, is God. The disciples do not hear the voice of Jesus. He is obviously, not in the boat. As the storms rages on, the disciples feel alone. They know they have to move forward, but they feel alone, and it is getting darker. Think about your Spiritual Life. At times, isn’t that a familiar scenario? Then, in today’s scripture, something remarkable happens. Hear more in the Homily! What lessons can we draw from today’s Gospel? Listen to: The Church Moves Across The Water Feeling Alone. Lessons for Our Own Spirituality! Listen to this Meditation Media. --------------------------- Image: Jesus Walking On Water: English Painter: William Brassey Hole: 1905 --------------------------- Gospel Reading: John 6: 16-21 First Reading: Acts: 6: 1-7