This reflection has been authored by Mark Gates. Mark is a Cursillo brother of mine and an excellent writer. More than that, he is a very faithful Catholic. He has graciously agreed to help out with writing for A Catholic Moment when one of the other writers need some help. I had a very busy week this past week and Mark is filling in for me today. His biography is at the bottom of this post.
Acts 6:1-7, As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men.” The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
While considering a common thread between today’s scriptures, TWO threads jumped off the page and slapped me in the face !! ( I hope you’re smiling) Those two common threads are Trust and Responsibility! I grew up in the era of “If you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself!” In all my years working in Retail management, I was crushed under the weight of this old adage. I couldn’t trust anyone and never learned how. I also was never honored with the opportunity of serving in our military where trust and teamwork are highly valued. My experiences never taught me how to trust the team around me! This scripture slapped me double hard when remembering my wife’s sage advice, “You can’t do everything all by yourself, you’ll kill yourself!”
So, in Acts 6, we find our fledgling faith and church with initial problems due to their incredible success. Our Apostles are trying to painstakingly preserve the Gospel of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. But just as with the feedings of the 4,000 and the 5,000, people need to be fed, physically. There is just one quirky, little fact apparent… Jesus is not in their midst, so they think!
The Apostles, in deep discernment with the Holy Spirit, understand that their no. 1 task is, preserve the Gospel! The physical duties and demands of The Way need to be delegated, (Trust & Responsibilities). So, they ask the elders and people to choose and decide for themselves, seven upright and faithfully ‘sound’ men to assist. It also doesn’t hurt to have The Holy Spirit in your back pocket!!
Do we ‘trust’ in the Word of God, that when we read it, it will speak to us? Maybe? It’s not always a Charlton Heston moment. Some days the word may Not speak at all, and it’s those days that our ‘responsibility’ becomes, simply, to just BE with God.
Psalm 33: 1-5,18, Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD, the earth is full.
Mercy, Love, Grace and Assured Contentment is all just oozing out of this Psalm (read in full) for those who Trust in The Lord. When I’m in good grace with God , I just can’t help but sing songs of praise. But when I’m feeling all smudged up and dirty, I believe, that it is still my responsibility to let God’s Love and my own spirituality ooze-out for all to see and hopefully partake !
Gospel: Jn 6:16-21, When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea and embarked in a boat. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. They saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
In this scripture trust and responsibility aren’t separate entities. They both totally ‘LIVE’ within each other. Trust is the confirmed out-growth of passionately exercising our responsibility of loving Our Blessed Trinity.
As a side note, I use my Catholic, ‘Study Bible: New American Edition’. What I learned while researching is that John’s version here, is the same walking on water event as when Peter begins sinking because he’s doubtful of Jesus. Matthew and Mark both mention Peter by name, John does not.
This event is after the Cana wedding and immediately after the Feeding of 5,000!! Just when -o- when are these guys gonna get a clue? Granted, we enjoy a luxury of 2000 years of biblical scholars breaking it all down for us… but still, “Come on, man”.
I want to leave you with our Holy Spirit’s desire for my responsibility. I am today, to love and leave this world each day more joy-filled than yesterday, fully trusting my own life to Our Blessed Trinity!
I am Mark Gates, your servant. I currently live with
my wife in Dubuque, Iowa and have retired. I have spent
my whole life as a God-fearing Christian, Lector and
cradle Catholic. In 1996 after a Charismatic Conference,
My spirituality ‘Exploded’. The Holy Spirit has blessed
me with personal revelations in times of needed
admonishment, teaching or encouragement. Having a
personal belief and true affection for The Real Presence
of Christ in Eucharist and also a very tender, special
relationship with our Holy Spirit, I believe that our world
is in need of Good News. I want my spirituality to ‘start
conversations’. Please allow these musings to start your
own conversations.
