I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Come unto Me, and rest
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast"
I came to Jesus as I was so weary and worn and sad
I found in Him a resting place and He has made me glad
I believe that all of us have felt, at various times in our lives . . . weary, worn or sad. That’s part of what it is to be human. Life is difficult. And certainly, life seems more difficult this time of year . . . with the school year just around the corner, with schedules and appointments filling every moment, with anxiousness about fall sports, or the fall play or that damaging message that was posted on social media. And then there’s finances, there’s the upcoming election. Or how about the shocking news of the horrid behavior of priests in the Pennsylvania Diocese that was released recently?
We are bombarded with stuff, and all this news. Who do we listen to?
I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Behold, I freely give
The living water thirsty one stoop down, and drink, and live"
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived and now I live in Him
You know, no one can survive long without water. And I know that you farmers are worried about your crops if we don’t get some rain soon. But each of us, as living beings, needs water.
That’s why Jesus says in a different section of John’s gospel that he is the “life giving water.”
And in today gospel, he says he is the “living bread and I give myself (my flesh) for the life of the world.”
The presence of God is not meant to be just jewelry around your neck, or a slogan on a bumper sticker. God want to be our very life.
Recently, I had a dream at night. This is a true story. I dreamt that I saw a poster hanging on a wall. The poster said just three words: RELAX . . . AND LEARN. I took that as advice from God who says, “Relax, I got this. Don’t worry so much.” AND it’s not that any of us can just do nothing and somehow expect God to come through. The poster also said, “And learn.” That is . . . grow, improve, become better.
Now, I am blest in this parish to have some of you parishioners who consistently tell me how to improve. Now, as difficult as that is for you, I do appreciate your concern. I just wish you could find more tactful ways to tell me. But I never want to be in a situation where I think that I can’t improve, grow or become better. But no of us can just say, “OK, I want to be better and expect God to do all the work.”
Some years ago Carrie Underwood had a hit song called, “Jesus Take the Wheel.” The song talks about a woman who hit a patch of black ice in winter and throws up her hands from the wheel and prayed. Now . . . that’s not good advice for your teens learning how to drive. I know it was supposed to be symbolic, but it is still a dumb way to drive.
If you’re facing some difficulties, Jesus says, “I am the living bread, the life giving water.” Do your stuff . . . go to the doctor, do the therapy, get the check-up, lock your door, and floss your teeth. The second reading says, “Watch how you live. Don’t be foolish, Don’t continue in ignorance. Understand God’s will.”
Jesus says, “If you trust me, I am not going to leave you. Eat my presence in the Eucharist. Know my touch in the goodness of a faith community. Trust. (Hang onto the steering wheel) but know that I will get you throw this.
I heard the voice of Jesus say "I am this dark world's Light
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise and all thy day be bright"
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun
And in that Light of life I'll walk till trav'lling days are done