4th Sunday of Lent 27 March 2022 Security
The miracle of the loaves reasserts God's providence, and His ability to feed His people; to meet all their needs if only they will be humble enough to know that their greatest need is Himself.
He is our primary need; everything else fits in around that.
Yes, we need bread to eat, but even more so the Bread of Heaven.
Yes, we need to overcome our sickness, but to overcome sin is more important.
Yes, we need security against poverty and other misfortunes but our full security can be found only in Him.
When we see refugees escaping with only the clothes they are wearing, it brings home to us how fragile our earthly securities are.
In turbulent times such as in a war or disaster one could lose all one had, even life itself, or one’s way of life.
We would be on very insecure ground if that were all there is.
There is more, however.
Appearances can be deceptive, we know.
The physical securities make one kind of deception. Everything appears to be in place, but one event can send it all tumbling down.
However the appearance of utter loss can also be deceptive. We have the best insurance policy possible if we keep ourselves close to Jesus Christ.
He can compensate our losses. If we have Him we have all we need. He can feed the hungry, cure the sick, raise the dead, and give eternal life.
Other things we miss, but with Christ we have far more than we lost.
This world can look very harsh at times. People see the pain and the grief, and they ask: Is there anything behind all this? Is there anyone out there?
Do we live in an impersonal universe with nobody at the controls; or is there a loving powerful presence guiding the whole operation?
It is the latter, and we can believe that with help from the same source as everything else – God Himself.
Having that much faith we have also joy, something we acknowledge on Laetare Sunday.
We can be happy because we are on good terms with the source of all happiness.
We remind ourselves of God's holy will, His promises, His fidelity to His word - these are things which we need to hear – not just to make us feel better, but because they are true. It is their truthfulness that makes them so appealing.
We might hope for things which we are unlikely to achieve, like winning the lottery. But this one - security in this life and the next - is attainable by all, and does not need luck.
We just need to be on good terms with God. That can be put in different ways – to be in a state of grace, to love Him (to the best of our capacity); to trust Him to meet all our needs.
We cannot see it all at once due to limitations of our perception, but over and over the help will be there.
This is why we have readings from the Bible, to remind us this is who is running the universe!
This is why we have the Mass, to confirm and increase our link with so much power and goodness.
He works in our needs with everyone and everything else. He gives us the best He can at any point. Over time we can see what He has done, and we have confidence that He will keep blessing us.This is joyful if only we remember to turn to Him, and not let despair in the door.
We must tell our neighbours of His goodness. People complain that God has hurt them and not given them compensation. The compensation would come if they could only trust a little.
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