Daily Reflection Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Through our biblical readings these past days, we witness Moses in constant conversation with God. Moses is called to a close, deep, and intimate relationship with God. He enters into this commitment in peace. The people he is praying for are the ones who are agitated. They have not yet allowed themselves to trust implicitly in the God who loves them. Are we, too, afraid of such a call as that of Moses? Yet, this is a God who calls us to peace and forgiveness of ourselves, our families, our neighbors. God has instilled in us a compassion toward those who have harmed us. If we respond to the peace within us—that virtue given us at Confirmation—our agitation will gradually diminish. and we will see with the eyes of God.

    Pain is a necessity in any life: birthing a child, suffering from physical pain, enduring emotional trauma. Although we may not have a cloud over us to show God’s presence in our midst, God is there within us. Instead of speaking to us in a cloud, God speaks to us in the dark times of our lives. 

    In today’s gospel Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like looking for a treasure hidden in a field. The treasure of experiencing God in our lives comes often or not so frequently. Yet, we need to be aware and ready. Unlike Moses, we may not have a physical or emotional encounter with God. But if our hearts are open and willing, we experience God sometimes through our numbness in prayer, in the needs of other people, in the beauty of nature, or the fright of thunder and lightning. Could God be speaking to us in that unexpected phone call while we are busy with a project? Or the neighbor who complains to us? Or the person who needs our love and attention when we are emotionally exhausted? This search is a constant daily process. Though we may not feel it, God’s grace is within us always!

    Let’s take time today to listen to the music of Dan Schutte: 

I Found a Treasure in a Field