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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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How much do we trust God in adversity? I guess it all depends. Moses’ people trusted God when given the chance to flee slavery in Egypt, but then, when Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his whole army after them, they doubted God. Their fear and frustration were vented upon Moses as they sarcastically asked, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt…it’s far better to be slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” Two points came to mind. The first was, do we ever find ourselves making the calculations that the Jewish people did when faced with impending loss? Do we rationalize and settle for something wrong to keep afloat or not to upset the apple cart of life and family?
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“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.” On Tuesday, I read and thought about those words from Jesus as I sat in a waiting area at the Brockton Hospital. From my corner seat, I could see patients and loved ones, doctors and nurses, and technicians passing by. Some walked by with confidence and others like me with hesitation, not knowing the outcome of the day’s visit, and still others also needed the use of a cane or to be assisted in a wheelchair. What I learned from talking to both the people who work at the hospital and those who are accompanying loved ones or those there for examination or treatment is that everyone has something that falls under a labor or burden in their lives.
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It’s another ordinary day. Moses is doing what he’s done for the last forty years, herding sheep in the wilderness. There’s nothing exceptional. Just a man, a stick, and some wooly animals. And then, a bush catches fire but doesn’t burn up. And with it, everything changes. Now pause for a second. Isn’t that how God works? Not with trumpets and fireworks, but in the middle of your Tuesday afternoon laundry, or your commute, or in the ache of an unresolved prayer. Moses wasn’t looking for God; he was looking for a lost sheep. But the burning bush found him.
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Let me introduce you to Jochebed, mother of Moses from the first reading. No burning bush, no Red Sea yet. Just a woman, in a time of terror, doing what mothers do best: protecting life in the face of death. Pharaoh, in all his regal might, had issued a royal decree: every Hebrew baby boy must be drowned in the Nile. And what does Jochebed do? She looks at her newborn son, sees something “special” in him, and let’s be honest, what mother doesn’t think her child is special? But Jochebed’s faith isn’t just sentimental, it’s strategic. She hides him for three months, then weaves a basket, like a tiny ark, places him in it, and lets him go into the very river meant for his death. That’s not fear. That’s Trust You know what strikes me most? Jochebed never hears a voice from heaven. No angel appears with a five-point plan. She has no assurance this will work. All she has is maternal instinct and mustard-seed faith. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.
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“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.” “I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…[so that] one’s enemies will be the members of one’s household.” ~ Matthew 10:34—11:1 These proclamations from our Lord can strike us particularly harshly here at Holy Cross Family Ministries, because Venerable Patrick Peyton dedicated his life to family unity through prayer and proclaimed that prayer brings peace. What do we make of this? First, we must understand that when Jesus speaks of peace in this passage, He means freedom from conflict, particularly oppression from one’s enemies. There was, in fact, an expectation that the Messiah would usher in an era where nations no longer engaged in conflict, and God’s people, especially, no longer suffered oppression. Jesus, instead, makes no such promises, at least not for His first coming upon the earth.
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In the world of marketing, the biggest thing you sell to potential consumers or buyers is how life is going to be easier for them after they buy your product. You persuade buyers that the product you are proposing to them is the best thing that has ever happened in their lives! We hear the message coming through that says “If you buy this lawn mower, you will never have to work the rest of your life!” “If you call this law firm your case is almost won!” “If you buy this car, you will barely have to pay for gas or maintenance!” Essentially, marketers sell to their would-be customers, convenience, comfort, ease, enjoyment, and winning!
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