Lesson from Fr. Paulus | God Cares

Sometimes, God seems far away, mysterious, frightening. This was Moses' experience at the burning bush.

The fire symbolizes God's other-worldliness - fire is the least material of all material things. It's like light; you can see it, but you can't touch it. It is burning in a bush, but the bush is not burnt up. That symbolizes that God's way of being is different from ours.

The name God reveals to Moses emphasizes the same thing: "I am who I am." In other words, "I am the one who exists independently of every other being."

Human existence is dependent: we come into the world through our parents; we are cared for by them, and even as adults, we need the support of a society, the companionship of others. We are dependent, God is independent. He simply is, from age to age. He has no need of anyone else.

But this far-away-ness of God isn't the whole story. It's not even the most important part of the story. He may not need us, but he wants us to be close to him.

Biblical scholars tell us that the Hebrew verb for "being" (used in God's name, "I am") doesn't just mean existence in the abstract. It also means to be near, to be close.

God came close to Moses and drew Moses close to him. In Christ and in the Eucharist, he does so even more. God tells Moses that he has heard the cry of his suffering people.Christ too is God's answer to the yearning of every human heart - his definitive answer.

Christ is the one who cultivates the soil around our hearts, as the gardener tends the fig tree in the parable.He wants our lives to bear the fruit of meaning, peace, and happiness.

God is far away - because he is God - but he is also close by, because he cares.

Giving the Greatest Alms

God is reminding us today that he is close to us. He is always thinking of us, listening to us, and guiding us, just as he was with Moses, just as he was and is in his Son, Jesus Christ.

This is a beautiful and comforting truth, and we need to think about it, to let it sink in and encourage us.

But we should also think about all those people who don't know this truth, or don't believe it. For them, life is an even lonelier journey than it is for us. All they can do is hope that someday they will stumble across the secret to happiness.

But without discovering that God, the Creator of all things, is at their side, thinking of them, guiding them, wanting to teach and forgive and lead them - without discovering that, they simply cannot find the happiness they are looking for.

God wants them to discover it. How? He is sending us to be his messengers.

Lent is a time when we should double our efforts to help those around us. What greater gift could we give them than the knowledge of God's goodness and closeness?This is the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We each need to ask ourselves: Who around me is lonely, suffering, or searching? How can I bring them this good news? How can I, through my words and actions, show them that God cares?

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The greatest alms we can give are the news that Jesus Christ, Creator of the universe, wishes to walk by our side.

In this Mass, let's ask Jesus to show us the person he wants us to bring this message to this week, and when we receive him in Holy Communion, let's promise that we will be his faithful messengers.