First Reading: 1 Kgs 19:4-8; Psalm: 34. R. v. 9a; Second Reading: Eph 4:30-5:2; Gospel: Jn 6:41-51
TRUSTING ON GOD’S DIVINE PROVIDENCE
BY FR VALENTINE NNAMDI EGBUONU, MSP
Excuse me that I’d like to start this reflection with a heartbreaking story.
On the 13th of March 2021, news concerning a 16 year old Ugandan teenager, Peter Makombe surfaced on the media. Peter was a Form 4 student of Baptist High school Nyanama, Ugandan who committed suicide as a birthday gift to his mother on her birthday. Before Peter took his own life, he left a suicide note that read: “On today’s special day, I want you to be the happiest ever. Every day you used to say that happiness left you the day I was born. You told me Dad left because of me. So today, I want to change things. I want you to be very happy and live as if I never existed. You told me you’d never look at me with love but I’ve always loved you and admire you as the best Mom on earth. I hope one day you will think of me, hope in heaven you will finally hold me and kiss me. The best gift I could ever give you is leaving your life as you’ve always wanted, wishing I was never born. I love you Mom. Happy birthday”.
The dark threads of Peter’s past experiences that over time bred his decision to take his own life may not have been disclosed; but the sad reality remains that a lot of people grapple with a couple of inner crises that can lead to a bad end if not well managed. However, this reflection is not about suicide much as it is about the reality of inner crisis and how we can cope if we trusted in God’s divine providence who in his son Jesus Christ has offered us the gift of his own very self.
At different stages in life, we may be unfortunate to run into varied degrees of crisis out of our own misdeeds or the misdeeds of others that we become prone to unreasoned thoughts and decisions. In times like this, we need to take courage and give God a chance. Elijah in the first reading of today, overwhelmed by his misery made a rash cry to God to take away his life. Elijah was on the run, fleeing from the clutches of Jezebel who sought to kill him. Jezebel was the wife of Ahab who was the king of Israel at that time. As the Queen, Jezebel was highly influential and domineering. She had banished the prophets of Israel and enthroned 450 prophets of Baal whom she imported from her pagan native land to replace them. Elijah had murdered all 450 prophets of Baal having defeated them in the faith contest on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:16-40). It was in the wake of this, among other things, that Jezebel sought to kill Elijah.
As a man on the run, Elijah felt abandoned and uncared for; for he had no food, water nor shelter as he ran for his dear life into the desert driven by the wrath of Jezebel. Famished and enervated as a fugitive, Elijah wished he was dead and prayed to God to take away his life. However, Elijah did not take his own life. His impulsive wish and prayer for death was ironically a plea to God for help. As he fell asleep under the broom tree, an angel brought him food and water. After eating to his fill, the food sustained him for a journey of forty days to the Mount of Horeb where he was recommissioned to begin another chapter of his prophetic ministry. When we hang in there in faith, God will come through for us in unexpected ways.
God is not blind to our plights. We are the ones who are blinded by our plights and fail to see the providence of God in any case. We can sometimes be disappointed in life not to get the care we deserve or the love we desire from certain people. We could also face hate and hostility from those who owe us much. But this does not mean that we are not deserving of love. It could mean that such people are not deserving of us. This does not excuse hate and hostility; but that how people see us should not define how we see ourselves. We are precious in the eyes of God and many people out there are waiting for the opportunity to love us as we deserve. That love out there waiting for us to change course could be more than enough to erase and heal our hurts of the past. Just hang in there; it is not the end of the road.
Jesus assures us in the gospel of today that he is the living bread which came down from heaven that gives life to those who come to him. The greatest crisis in life is to live apart from God. God is our ultimate security. The love and care of man may fail; but the love and care that God offers us never fails. Christ offers us security of life and love in the gift of his body that seals our communion with him. The Eucharist is Christ’s greatest gift to his Church. In the Eucharist, Christ offers us the gift of himself who suffered the agony of pain and rejection on the cross and endured to the end, triumphing over the agony of the cross in the victory of his resurrection. So, when we receive Christ in the Eucharist, we share in his divine fortitude, in his victory over every life’s crises, and in his life that never ends.
In our earth’s journey that culminates in heaven; we need a genuine relationship with Christ in the Eucharist. The benefits are immeasurable. When the angel fed Elijah with the food from heaven; the strength of this food sustained Elijah through the trials of his journey up to Mount Horeb, where he encountered the Lord. This food foreshadows Christ, the bread of life that came down from heaven to nourish and sustain us through earth’s journey; and to lead us into the heavenly homeland to share in the eternal life of heaven. The Eucharist therefore offers us both earthly and heavenly benefits. It strengthens and nourishes us in our faith’s journey, and leads us to share in the eternal life of heaven.
Life is a mixture of successes and challenges. The strength to cope and overcome the trials of life is offered in the Eucharist. When received constantly in faith, the strength of this food nourishes our soul, fills our inner emptiness, and bonds us with Christ who now lives within us to sustain us amidst the troubles of life. Hence, when we are faced with the pain of sickness, the hurt of disappointment, the sadness of rejection, the distress of bereavement, and the misery of the world’s evil, we can look beyond these challenges and feel the love and companionship of Christ who never abandons us when life hangs us out to dry. Our faith in Christ’s divine companionship offers us the grace of lasting perseverance.
Very importantly, we can make our world a lovely place to be. We must get rid of negative energies that do no good but harm to those around us. We must be conscious that every one of our actions has positive or negative effects on people. As our second reading admonishes, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.” No crisis in life is worth our life even when we are denied the love we deserve; for the love of God is sufficient for us. But don’t be the evil another person suffers. Be imitators of Christ who offers love, not hate.”
PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Lord Jesus, we pray for the grace to trust in your ever abiding presence amidst the crises of life. Strengthen our relationship with you in the Eucharist that we may find strength and support in this spiritual food that nourishes our soul. Amen.
Amen.