Reflections from the Heart – July 25, 2021

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Have you ever felt so alone even though there seemed to be so much going on around you? A world filled with noisy music, fast-paced traffic, hurried moments, busied with tons of conversations and yet in the midst of so much activity, you remained invisible to a crowded world that remains silent to your call for assistance, your cry for help, distant to your soundless screams. Have you ever felt so hopeless that even God couldn’t reach you or so helpless that God couldn’t help you? Life at times can be overwhelming.  Family can at times be exhausting, relationships can become burdensome and work can simply become pointless and unsatisfying. What do you do when there seems to be no easy solution, no apparent relief or end in sight?  All seems helpless, hopeless and useless and the situation just gets worst. Where do you go for help? Who do you turn to? Please don’t give up. God is always there for us, always there for you. We need to run to him and ask for a loving embrace, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to bend. In urgent moments such as those when no one seems to care or understand us, those desperate moments brought about by anxiety, trouble or loss, those difficult moments that lead to darkness, despair, depression, discouragement or desolation, we need to look for God – especially in these moments of great need. In a moment of crisis and exhaustion, I sought the Lord in great solitude. I asked the Lord to hold me as a mother holds her child, as a father holds his son. I asked God to set his gaze upon my heart and to set my gaze upon his. In profound silence I heard a voice say, “what do you know – what do you know?” I understood I was being asked to consider what knowledge I possessed that was absolute and unchanging. After a brief moment of reflection I said, “Lord, I know you love me and have forgiven me and that you have never abandoned me or given up on me and that you have and will always provide for me.” The Lord responded, “good.” I was asked to never forget what l know especially in moments of distress for God’s grace will get us through it for we are loved, cared for and never alone. This is a great source of consolation, comfort and peace. So never forget what you know.