In proclaiming God’s kingdom, his love gushes from him to us

Posted on

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for Saturday of the First Week of Advent, by Father Perry.
By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
+ Correction then consolation.
That often seems to be a pair of actions or activities of God in the Old Testament.
The people often wandered from God and even went after false gods.
Some kind of correction always seemed to follow, and was almost always attributed to God; and even often blamed directly on God.
God did it to them.
Call it punishment if you will, or correction.
Perhaps even more healthy and honest would be to say it was one’s own consequences for one’s own actions.
When we worship false gods, like money, things often come crashing down on us.
Did God do it, or do we do it to ourselves?
In any case, today’s reading from Isaiah is loaded with consolations.
God binds up and feeds, and gives drink and guides people, even to the right and to the left; abundance is everywhere.
Perhaps even here we want to say something like the almost definition of a statement of St. John in his first letter, “God is love.”
We, as Christians, take it for granted.
But maybe this passage of consolation is a place where the roots of that statement about God are already taking place.
God seems to gush with love for his people.
And for us?
Now, Jesus also reacts to the sight of the crowds as he went from town to town teaching and healing, and loving and giving.
He was “moved to pity” as he saw their needs and their wants.
“Like sheep without a shepherd,” he called them, because “they were troubled and abandoned.”
And so, in an instant (was it planned or a reaction? who knows?), he noted that the needs were great.
He simply stated that, “the harvest is abundant and the laborers are few.”
And with that, he called the 12 Apostles.
He instructed them; then he sent them out to proclaim that “the kingdom of God is at hand.”
And he further instructed them to, “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and to drive out demons.”
And this was to be done all for free, without cost!
+ Jesus saw. And he reacted. And he sent them forth.
And love, — yes, that love — that is God, gushed forth from him to them.
And also to us?
Me thinks that is so!
Father Perry Dean Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com.
Tagged , , , , , , , , .