Every Sunday, we are invited to this holy celebration to observe the Lord’s day, and bring to him our needs. And he knows we do not come empty-handed. When we walk through the doors, we carry with us all the emotions we face in our lives. We come with our fears, anxieties, joys, and thanksgivings, and God welcomes us.

Every week, we hear the Scriptures. Some are very familiar; some not as familiar as others. But each time we are invited to open our ears and our hearts to consider what the passage is saying to us right now. For example, today we heard Luke’s passage of the Sermon on the Plain. We heard that Jesus was preaching to a crowd that had gathered around him. Today, in this place, we are that crowd. We are gathered around to listen to his Word. And Jesus is speaking directly to us. We are the poor, the hungry, the grieving, the hated. We are yearning for something more. Jesus knows this. He is here with us. And he is telling us we will be lifted up and will overcome our challenges.

Jesus knows the justice we seek. He knows we will be satisfied, joyful, and filled. He knows this because he knows how much God loves us. It echoes the true wisdom that the Lord shares in Jeremiah: Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord; whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream. Our faith will sustain us no matter what circumstance we may encounter. Trust can be extremely difficult to sustain, and our hardships are not to be taken lightly. But God is asking us to believe in his goodness and promises; he knows what we are yearning for, and we will find fullness in him.

Soon, we will celebrate the Eucharist. This holy sacrifice offers us tremendous grace. It is a grace that invites us to feast in its fullness and strengthen our ability to trust in the Lord. Whatever cares we brought in with us, let us leave with the knowledge that we are not alone. Our yearning for more is not the final word, but we must maintain our confidence in the Lord. May we be open to trust, and grow in our understanding of God’s tremendous love for us.

(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, Feb. 16, 2025)