“While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.” (LK 5: 1)
Jesus, “the word of God,” is present among us. He is in the Bible, in the Church and in the community of believers; He is in the family and within married couples because He is the One who united them and made them sacramentally connected. Sometimes, especially when we are extremely busy or in chaos, we need, like the crowd who “was pressing in on Jesus,” to find time to “listen to the word of God,” especially when we do not have time.
“Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, ‘To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.’ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” (LK 4: 42-44)
Our Lord moves all the time. Every place, from “other towns” or “the synagogues of Judea,” are meeting points with “the crowds” or individuals to “proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God because for this purpose” He has been sent. We can meet Him in our churches and in our rooms, within our families and in our communities. He looks for us.
“The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.” (1 COR 2: 12)
We will see fully in Heaven how much we have received, how amazingly we were gifted, and how God’s providence prepared everything for our growth. When we “understand the things freely given us by God,” we are more humble and grateful, seeing in our actions His presence and strength and how “God has visited his people.”
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” (1 COR 2: 3-5)
How extremely humble is Our Lord; He trusts our “weakness and much trembling” and our poor human words and makes our words the place of “a demonstration of spirit and power,” a manifestation of the power of God. When we speak as parents or as friends, giving advice or comfort to others, we can always ask God for His presence in our words.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.” (JAS 1: 21-22)
“The word that has been planted in us” came “to save your souls.” To save our souls it needs our cooperation. “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” means to listen to it and to find ways to incorporate it in our daily lives.
“The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.’” (1 COR 1: 30-31)
We only live from God and for God. He gave us our lives, vocations, different roles and charisms. We are loved and we need to love others. When we are closer to Him, we better understand ourselves.
“I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” (Gospel Acclamation)
