I was looking at the readings for this Sunday’s Mass and, as always, it’s the little snippets that shout out at me and stick in my mind.
As you can see from the first reading, Jeremiah is going through a pretty bad time but in the midst of all his fears he says, ‘But the Lord is at my side’. Now, that is a nugget worth hanging on to. It is short, simple and direct. There is no misunderstanding it, no quibbling with it – it is simply the bottom line, as far as Jeremiah is concerned.
In the second reading, the letter to the Romans has a short phrase amidst so much, ‘divine grace …came …as an abundant gift’. Gifts are gifts, they don’t have to be earned, they are freely given by the giver, no strings attached. We don’t give someone a gift and say you can only do this or that with it, do we ? The moment conditions are put on something it ceases really to be a gift.
And, in the Gospel, full of beautiful images, Jesus says, ‘Why, every hair on your head has been counted …So there is no need to be afraid’. God knows us that well, he even knows how many hairs there are on our head; both when it was thick and luxurious and also for those who at this time of their lives are a bit thinner on top ! This is about intimacy, about God knowing us through and through, AND still loving every hair on our heads and our whole selves so that we do not need to be afraid.
So, be encouraged, this is the God who is at YOUR side, who gives YOU the abundant gift of grace and who has counted every hair on YOUR head.
As I celebrated my 26th ordination anniversary on Friday it is these kinds of words, these ‘snippets’, that give me comfort and strengthen me for the years ahead.
I hope they do you too !
Fr Peter