As I was reading today’s readings, I was struck by the frequency of the word “Lord.” In the first reading, the Jews sing a song about God’s fidelity in keeping them in peace. They trust in the Lord, and He keeps them safe: “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down” (Isa 26:4–5). The psalm focuses on giving thanks to the Lord and taking refuge in Him, recognizing that He has opened His gates to the just, bringing salvation, prosperity, and light to the faithful. In the Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the security of those who hear the words of the Lord and act on them, not simply saying, “Lord, Lord.”

In the first reading, it is the Lord who does everything: He keeps the people in peace, He humbles those in high places, He brings down the lofty city, and He opens the gates to let in a just nation. In the psalm, the speaker takes refuge in the Lord rather than any other authority, and recognizes that it is God alone who saves, gives prosperity, and provides light. The speaker cannot even attribute the “gates of justice” to man: “This gate is the Lord’s” (Ps 118:20).

The common thread here, besides the word “Lord,” is the exalted status of God. Of course we should put God first. But the sacred authors, instructed by Revelation, recognize that this means that we ought to follow Him without reservation, attributing the efficacy of all our endeavors to His grace. The Lord is the one doing all of the work, and we follow by trusting in Him and relying on Him. Jesus carries this theme to its conclusion, pointing out that if we rely solely on our own intelligence, we will have a shaky foundation. If we rely on God’s word, we will have a firm foundation.

To have a firm foundation, prosperity, light, salvation, and all the rest, we have to put our trust in the Lord and follow Him. This means that we should both hear and do His word, even when it is difficult for us. This is not self-annihilation, even though the path to discipleship begins with a great deal of self-denial. Jesus contrasts the man who built his house based on his own intelligence with the man who built his house using God’s word as the foundation, but in the end our own desires should come into conformity with God’s will. St. Augustine’s famous line “Love God and do what you will” expresses this union. The one who loves God completely, trusting in Him and following Him in all circumstances, will soon find that his only desire is to do what God thinks is best. If we focus on God first, recognizing that He is to thank for everything, and remain in a state of grace, we can trust that our desires will be aligned with His.

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Mientras leía las lecturas de hoy, me llamó la atención la frecuencia de la palabra “Señor”. En la primera lectura, los judíos cantan un canto sobre la fidelidad de Dios al mantenerlos en paz. Confían en el Señor y Él los mantiene a salvo: “Confíen siempre en el Señor, porque el Señor es nuestra fortaleza para siempre; porque él doblegó a los que habitaban en la altura; a la ciudad excelsa la humilló” (Isaías 26,4-5). El salmo se centra en dar gracias al Señor y refugiarse en Él, reconociendo que ha abierto sus puertas a los justos, trayendo salvación, prosperidad y luz a los fieles. En el Evangelio, Jesús enfatiza la seguridad de aquellos que escuchan las palabras del Señor y las ponen en práctica, no simplemente diciendo: “Señor, Señor”.

En la primera lectura, es el Señor quien hace todo: mantiene al pueblo en paz, humilla a los que están en las alturas, derriba a la ciudad enaltecida y abre las puertas para dejar entrar a una nación justa. En el salmo, el orador se refugia en el Señor antes que en cualquier otra autoridad, y reconoce que es solo Dios quien salva, da prosperidad y provee luz. El orador ni siquiera puede atribuir al hombre las “puertas del templo”: “Ésta es la puerta del Señor” (Sal 118,20).

El tema en común, además de la palabra “Señor”, es el estatus exaltado de Dios. Por supuesto que debemos poner a Dios en primer lugar. Pero los autores sagrados, instruidos por la revelación de Dios, reconocen que esto significa que debemos seguirlo sin reservas, atribuyendo la eficacia de todos nuestros esfuerzos a su gracia. El Señor es quien hace todo el trabajo, y nosotros lo seguimos confiando en Él y apoyándonos en Él. Jesús lleva este tema hasta su conclusión, señalando que si nos basamos únicamente en nuestra propia inteligencia, tendremos un fundamento inestable. Si nos basamos en la palabra de Dios, tendremos un fundamento firme.

Para tener un fundamento firme, prosperidad, luz, salvación y todo lo demás, tenemos que poner nuestra confianza en el Señor y seguirlo. Esto significa que debemos escuchar y hacer su palabra, incluso cuando nos resulte difícil. Esto no es autoaniquilación, aunque el camino hacia el discipulado comienza con una gran dosis de abnegación. Jesús contrasta al hombre que construyó su casa basándose en su propia inteligencia con el hombre que construyó su casa usando la palabra de Dios como fundamento, pero al final nuestros propios deseos deben estar en conformidad con la voluntad de Dios. La famosa frase de San Agustín “Ama a Dios y haz lo que quieras” expresa esta unión. El que ama a Dios completamente, confiando en Él y siguiéndolo en todas las circunstancias, pronto encontrará que su único deseo es hacer lo que Dios piensa que es mejor. Si nos centramos en Dios primero, reconociendo que es a Él a quien debemos agradecer por todo, y permanecemos en un estado de gracia, podemos confiar en que nuestros deseos estarán alineados con los suyos.

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When the disciples are tasked with feeding five thousand men across from the Sea of Galilee, they are understandably dumbfounded: How can they feed so large a crowd with no food of their own, not much money, and five barley loaves and two fish? Yet, they do not bat an eye when Jesus tells them to prepare the crowd for a meal. Instead of relying on their own intuition and arguing with Jesus about the absurdity of feeding over five thousand people with such a small amount of food, they simply do what He says, knowing that He will provide for His people.

The disciples understand our Gospel acclamation, that “one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). They have no idea how to approach the situation, but they have learned to trust in Jesus’ direction, even for matters of physical survival. His direction is better than anything they could come up with, even if it seems absurd at the time.

This outlook complements that of the psalmist, whose sole aim is to dwell in the house of the Lord rather than in other, more familiar places. And in our First Reading, we see Gamaliel saying something similar: “If [the gospel message] comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). He does not want to resist something that might come from God, even if he does not understand it.

Gamaliel, the psalmist, and the disciples see the point of remaining fixed on God, trusting in His direction even when it is difficult. They know that if God ordains something, guiding it with His hand, it cannot fail. If He gives direction, it will not be followed in vain. To dwell in His house is better than all else.

This is a profound trust that we need to adopt in our own lives. There is a subtle self-reliance that creeps in when we spend too much time seeking security by our own efforts alone. We plan far ahead, without consulting God concerning what He wants for our lives and for our loved ones. Inevitably, our best laid plans fail, and we make new ones, which fare no better. If we are not used to consulting God and trusting that He truly has things under control, we rely on worldly methods to maintain security, prestige, and wealth, so that we can have everything necessary for a good and peaceful life. Seeking easy steps to success, we look to social media and popular wisdom to solve our problems. If these solutions are divorced from spirituality, they never bring us the peace and security we seek.

Ultimately, we need to trust in what God has already told us through readings such as these. Even and especially when things look confusing and hopeless, God is in control. We must listen to Him and seek His will in these moments through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and spiritual direction, trusting in what He tells us, even if we cannot understand the reasons for it. We cannot expect to fully understand the ways of God, but that does not mean that they are inferior to the ways we can come up with on our own. Dwelling in His house is the goal, and His direction and protection are best for us in all situations.

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Cuando los discípulos tienen la tarea de alimentar a cinco mil hombres al otro lado del Mar de Galilea, se quedan estupefactos: ¿Cómo pueden alimentar a una multitud tan grande sin comida propia, sin mucho dinero, cinco panes de cebada y dos peces? Sin embargo, no se inmutan cuando Jesús les dice que preparen a la multitud para una comida. En lugar de confiar en su propia intuición y discutir con Jesús acerca de lo absurdo de alimentar a más de cinco mil personas con una cantidad tan pequeña de comida, simplemente hacen lo que les manda, sabiendo que proveerá para Su pueblo.

Los discípulos entienden nuestra aclamación evangélica, que “No sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino también de toda palabra que sale de la boca de Dios.” (Mt 4,4). No tienen idea de cómo abordar la situación, pero han aprendido a confiar en la dirección de Jesús, incluso en cuestiones de supervivencia física. Su orientación es mejor que cualquier cosa que se les haya ocurrido, incluso si parece absurdo en ese momento.

Esta perspectiva complementa la del salmista, cuyo único objetivo es morar en la casa del Señor y no en otros lugares más familiares. Y en nuestra Primera Lectura, vemos a Gamaliel diciendo algo similar: “si lo que se proponen y están haciendo es de origen humano, se acabará por sí mismo. Pero si es cosa de Dios, no podrán ustedes deshacerlo. No se expongan a luchar contra Dios” (Hechos 5:39). No quiere resistirse a algo que podría venir de Dios, aunque no lo entienda.

Gamaliel, el salmista y los discípulos ven el punto de mantenerse fijos en Dios, confiando en Su orientación incluso cuando sea difícil. Saben que si Dios ordena algo, guiándolo con Su mano, no puede fallar. Si orienta a alguien, sus indicaciones no serán seguidas en vano. Morar en Su casa es mejor que cualquier otra cosa.

Esta es una confianza profunda que necesitamos adoptar en nuestras propias vidas. Hay una autosuficiencia sutil que se cuela cuando pasamos demasiado tiempo buscando seguridad solo con nuestros propios esfuerzos. Planeamos con mucha anticipación, sin consultar a Dios sobre lo que quiere para nuestra vida y la de nuestros seres queridos. Inevitablemente, nuestros planes fallan y creamos otros nuevos, y no nos va mejor. Si no estamos acostumbrados a consultar a Dios y confiar en que realmente tiene las cosas bajo su control, nos apoyamos en métodos mundanos para mantener la seguridad, el prestigio y la riqueza, para que podamos tener todo lo necesario para una vida buena y pacífica. Buscando pasos fáciles hacia el éxito, recurrimos a las redes sociales y la sabiduría popular para resolver nuestros problemas. Si estas soluciones están separadas de la espiritualidad, nunca nos traerán la paz y la seguridad que buscamos.

En última instancia, debemos confiar en lo que Dios ya nos ha dicho a través de las escrituras, como las lecturas de hoy. Incluso y especialmente cuando las cosas parecen confusas y sin esperanza, Dios tiene todo bajo control. Debemos escucharlo y buscar su voluntad en estos momentos a través de la oración, la Escritura, los sacramentos y la dirección espiritual, confiando en lo que nos dice, aunque no podamos entender las razones. No podemos esperar comprender completamente los caminos de Dios, pero eso no significa que sean inferiores a los caminos que podemos encontrar por nuestra cuenta. Morar en Su casa es la meta, y Su orientación y su protección son lo mejor para nosotros en todas las situaciones.

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“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

The Apostles were so convicted by their experience of Jesus Christ, that they continued to tell his story even when those in power wanted to put them to death. Let that sink in for a moment. They wanted them put to death. And the Apostles did not stop. 

We live in a time when we are taught not to discuss religion and politics. We have witnessed people shamed and brought down for standing up for their convictions. It is a time of “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. 

This hits home hard for me. It is hard for me to even write these words. I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have not brought up my faith because I was afraid it would make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation. I have neglected to share the grace I have received, because I wasn’t sure how the person would react, they might think I was weird or worse. I had a job once where I was cautioned to tuck in my crucifix because I was around people who didn’t like Catholics and I complied. No one has threatened my life, but there have definitely been times when I didn’t tell the story of Jesus Christ and the wonders he has worked. For that I am ashamed. 

A personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the ability to transform us. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is able to take us outside of ourselves and move us into meaningful encounters with others. It is our mission to go out into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ and his mercy. We are not to tell it once and then go back home, we are to tell the story over and over. More than that, we are to live the story. We are to live in such a way that mercy is our hallmark; where telling others how much they are loved is part of just who we are and how we operate. 

So I will take comfort from John’s words in the Gospel. “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” As I bend my will to conform more and more to God’s will, I can trust that God will not ration his gift of the Spirit so that each day I can start anew and along with the Psalmist “bless the Lord at all times.” Even when it feels uncomfortable. 

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