“Everyone is looking for you”
In the Gospel reading, Jesus goes away to pray alone and the Apostles look for Him. Every person is looking for the truth in this world. When the Apostles tell Jesus, “Everyone is looking for you”, they did not finish their thought, which was probably, “to help cure them.” However, Jesus already showed Himself to the people of that town and had to move on to the next place.
Is “everyone” really seeking God? Yes. If someone searches for truth, meaning in life, or what their life is all about, it all stems from the Almighty. All of us are seeking a better understanding of who God is and what He wants in our lives. “Our friends and acquaintances, including those who are furthest away, also need and want God, although often they do not show this.” [1]
POEM – The Pulley by George Herbert
When God at first made man,
Having a glass of blessing standing by,
Let us (said he) pour on him all we can:
Let the world’s riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way:
Then beauty flow’d, then wisdom, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that, alone of all his treasure,
Rest in the bottom lay.
For if I should (said he)
Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts instead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness:
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to my breast.
Saint Augustine says, “O Lord we are restless until we rest in you.” It is the restlessness that causes us to seek God and even if we are rich and seem to have everything, God made us restless so that we could rest in Him alone. Even if we are not willing to go to God through virtue, we will go to Him out of weariness, for He is our rest. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” [2]
The most important thing to realize is that God is searching for each of us. If we recall the Gospel reading, the people who sought Jesus knew Him, but Jesus wanted to move to a town where the people did not know of Him. Jesus said that this was His mission, to seek out everyone possible so that they may know that salvation is at hand. “More importantly still, God is searching for them.” [3] When looking for God in our own lives, do we search for Him, or stop to allow Him to seek us?
I Hate Consequences by Relient K We must realize that we are the ones, who run and hide from our sin, just like our first parents. It is only when we finally start to truly look for Jesus that we realize He has been right here all along, waiting for us to come home. The Sacrament of Reconciliation spiritually brings us back to life in the grace of God.
Where do people look for God? Many people look for God in all the wrong places. Some look for Him in music, computer/internet, cell phones, sex, friends, or family. God is not any of these things. While many of these things can help lead us to God or give us a better understanding of Him, we must remember that He is not in these things. What other things do people turn to when looking for God?
Toys Educational Benefits Most children have played with a shape shorting game, which teaches us by trial and error. There is a great deal of frustration when we try to place a circle shape in a triangle whole. The frustration makes us move on to try another shape. We all have “God shaped hole” and try to fill it with all the items listed above, we hopefully discover very quickly that these things do not fit and we seek God. As Psalm 63 says our souls would desire God as the parched land desires water.
Saint John of the Cross describes our soul as having three caverns or holes. The three holes are our intellect (thoughts), our will (actions), and our feelings (emotions). There are three options in regard to what we do with these holes. One, we can fill them up with the things of this world, rather than God. If we choose this option the emptiness of the caverns will never be filled. We will continue to try to fill them but be left unhappy. If we continue to attempt to fill the void, we become easily addicted to the things of the world. Two, we can cover the caverns up, thus becoming hardened to life, not letting anything in, out of fear or complacency. Three, we can place God and His will in each of these caverns and thus be filled with the joy that only God can give.
How can we help others find Jesus? When we are asked to help transmit the faith, we must do it with cheerful boldness. We cannot be afraid to give others what they are truly asking for, which is the truth. We cannot be concerned with giving them only what they want to hear or leave parts out, because they deserve the full richness of the truth. “…it is useless to transmit mere half-truths for fear that the fullness of truth and the demands of an authentic Christian life may clash with ways of thinking currently in fashion, and with the easy-going attitude of so many people. There can be no half-measures where truth is concerned, and love which is prepared to make sacrifices cannot admit of settling for less or be the object of compromise. The condition for all apostolate is fidelity to doctrine…We cannot omit themes such as generosity when it comes to having a large family, or the demands of social justice, or a full dedication to God when He calls someone to follow him.” [4]
We all seek and strive to find Jesus. But it can be hard at times, especially with the number of distractions we have today. The Apostles found Jesus in a quiet place, secret to those who were not really looking. If we are quiet and truly seek Christ, we will find Him in the quiet silence of our hearts and souls, especially in adoration.
What importance does silence play in the liturgy? When do we have silence in the Mass?“Sacred silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times.[Sacrosanctum Concilium 30; Musicam Sacram 17] Its nature, however, depends on the moment when it occurs in the different parts of the celebration. For in the Penitential Act and again after the invitation to pray, individuals recollect themselves; whereas after a reading or after the Homily, all meditate briefly on what they have heard; then after Communion, they praise God in their hearts and pray to him. Even before the celebration itself, it is a praiseworthy practice for silence to be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred celebration in a devout and fitting manner.” [5]
[1] In Conversation with God 3, 35.3
[2] Matthew 11:28
[3] In Conversation with God 3, 35.3
[4] In Conversation with God 3, 35.3
[5] GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) - 45