Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
“Taking the seven loaves (Jesus) gave thanks, …. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also.”
To bless God is to enter into the mystery of his creation. It is to take up and allow oneself to be formed in reverence for all God has made. Then when it comes to being tempted by this creation, we face it with the wisdom that God did not give it to us, did not put us in its midst, to trick us but to assist us in coming to him.
All easier said than done!
So to navigate creation, we must return to what Jesus shows us in this Gospel: he gave thanks and he said the blessing over this food, these created good things that have been made for human use.
This is to order creation. That is, to make ourselves aware that we can use creation to know, love, and serve God and use it to come to him in eternity.
In practice, this might look like this: when I begin my day, I praise God, “from whom all blessings flow.” When I end my day, I thank God but also express sorrow for any misuse of creation. That includes my mind, my feelings, and my body.
This daily practice, in one’s own ways, can form us in reverence as we live with our temptations in regard to what God has made for us. It’s a way of acceptance that relieves us of thinking that we have to conquer creation completely before we can offer it to God!
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections