Intimacy—a human hunger—a divine condition…
(08-09-2009)
How familiar are we with people we claim to know in our lives—whether family members, friends, co-workers, or classmates?
It can be a risk to be real and to be intimate with the people God has placed in our lives. Sometimes fear keeps us from revealing and trusting. Sometimes it is old wounds that may have been caused by family or friends or co-workers and we withdraw or withhold letting people into our true self. Sometimes it can be anger that compels us to be defensive, or rage over feeling a loss of control or wanting to just quit. All of these very human feelings and conditions cause us to miss great miracles of love in our lives. Those miracles can be getting to really know one another as God intends—and most often it is getting to really know ourselves better. God also intends us to take risks and be intimate with Him..
Like Elijah who had thought he was at the end of his life and wanted to encounter God in an intimate way. He traveled deep into the desert risking his life, but wanting to hear God once again. Tired and feeling his age and in the silence of his agenda, he decides it is too much, to go any farther and he pleads for death. But miraculously he is fed bread from heaven, given water and brought back to life to continue his work for the Lord. Through the journey, Elijah gets to know God better and to know himself and his capabilities better.
Intimacy with God is also in our gospel for this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. And once again it comes in the form of one of the five Bread of LifeDiscourses in the Gospel of John. Jesus proclaims to the crowds that he has come to give himself for their sake and well being. But the people miss the miracle of the presence of Jesus in their lives.
They want something else—they only see him as just a neighbor, Jesus says; “It isnot something that I will give you—it is me.”
The response of his neighbors: “He’s just an ordinary carpenter’s son, what’s so great about him? Maybe if you would give us something miraculous, then we’d listen to you, carpenter’s son.” They miss the miracle of him in their lives. “No, Just Me,” Jesus says.
Isn’t that what we really want from Jesus--intimacy, access, comfort, and love? And don’t we want the same things from family members and friends?
How many children would be willing to give up a lot of their “stuff” they ask for --if parents would say: I am giving you just me? Well, at least until the age of 12—the major formative years! What a great blessing if parent(s) would offer: time with me, fun with me, meals with me, picnics, barbeques, baseball, or toss a football, watching you at ballet one evening, listen to you recite your poem for class, just me, no stuff but me. I will sit with you and we will talk, I will walk with you and you can trust me to hear you this time. And every week, I will give you this time that is ours alone—I’m giving you just me.
How many spouses hunger for real conversation and intimacy with one another—to be present to each other, without the children or life pressures, just one or two hours a week, time alone, time to be the people they first fell in love with. I will be with just you.
How many elderly would love to hear their grown children, say to them, mom/dad I will give you just me this weekend, time with you to hear those same stories over, time to hear what your life was like when you were raising me, time to know you better as a human being—your likes and dislikes, your trials as a youngster, your fears as someone elderly. I will give you just me.
How many parishioners hunger for a hand extended to them in welcome, or someone to notice that they have been absent from Mass due to illness and give them a call or visit them? Or that they are recently widowed and could use an invitation to your dinner table—and not be alone. I am here for just you.
There is a hunger for the Bread of Life, -- just Jesus —just him, paying attention to us--answering our needs. If we didn’t hunger for just him, in and with one another, why else would we gather in his name? That same hunger for intimacy with Jesus is connected to the same intimacy that we have in all relationships. Just as we need to make time for Jesus each day and weekend, we need to make time with family, friends, parishioners, and neighbors with whom God has blessed us and time for ourselves. That is when we share the Bread of Life, just ourselves-our precious time.
Share just you, Fr. Gordon
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