Weekly Gospel Reflection

We inhabit a planet shared by over 7.8 billion people, nestled within a galaxy that boasts at least 100 billion stars spread across a vast expanse of 100,000 light years. The National Institute of Corrections estimates that a staggering 117 billion humans have existed on our planet throughout history. As we contemplate the immensity of the universe, let us also consider the remarkable fact that our bodies consist of approximately 31.2 trillion cells, with every cell fully replenishing itself every 80 to 100 days.

Given this immense scale, it becomes challenging to fathom the concept of a grand and yet personal God. However, in the Gospel passage for this week, Jesus says just this to his disciples saying "Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge." These words convey that even the seemingly insignificant and inexpensive sparrows are observed by God. Jesus further adds, "Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows."

Through this analogy, Jesus reveals that God not only knows and cares about us but understands us with an intimate detail that surpasses our own self-awareness. What other aspects does the Father take notice of? Perhaps our emotions, our future reactions to events yet to unfold, or even our genuine needs that we ourselves may not fully grasp.

As followers of Christ, we are called to place our faith in God. We are assured that God deeply cares for us, particularly in light of the sacrifices we make, regardless of their scale. 

For the early Christians, this would be tested to its limits. They understood that to be a Christian in the times of the Romans, sacrifice is likely to come in the form of being shunned, tortured or death.  This passage speaks to these people saying that in spite of what they are to experience, Jesus sees their sacrifice and cares for them saying “so if anyone declares himself in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven”

We are challenged this week to trust in God. Trust that all our problems that we are experiencing right now are seen by God and that we can leave this to him to help us, even if we cannot see it. Perhaps you might find some time this week to talk to a friend about what is happening in your life, spend time looking after your mental wellbeing or maybe go for a quiet walk by yourself.

One night I dreamed a dream.

As I was walking along the beach with my Lord

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, 

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it."

Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,

You'd walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, 

there was only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you - Margaret Fishback Powers .

St John Vianney, 

Pray for us