Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson
One sure proof that the “now” is so different from the “then” is the presence of so many blue screens in our world and what you see on them. While they are small on smart phones, they grow a bit larger on various “pads.” But they reach the ultimate on those like the billboard-size screens available in stadiums and even in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Technology is so much with us that we must scratch our heads to remember when it was not. Watching a toddler imitate his elders fingering the keys of a phone can make you laugh at first, and then perhaps later make you ponder what technology lies ahead for that tiny human being. “AI” may be antique by then.
It becomes a necessity to think about the place of religion in all of this, and of our place in the world as believers. The changes that will inevitably come our way might scare us into thinking faith and religion will become obsolete.
No worries! Once you come back to reality you will quickly notice that an awful lot of our fellow travelers are in dire need. That not limited to luxuries. The plain truth is that, as humans, we all need more than the basics of food, clothing, and shelter. Science cannot provide love. That is precisely where God and true religion enter the scene.
Nowadays we realize that there is a type of human pain that stretches beyond the obvious. Well past material needs. Sometimes that need is no more mysterious than having a fellow human being nearby who will listen to us. That is one way that we become salt and light in the world as the Lord Jesus would have us be.
What is our energy source? The “battery,” if you will? It is the love and grace of God, coming to us through the Holy Spirit that never gets outdated. We cannot neglect being “charged by Love.” We need to “think large.”
When James Garfield, later to become for a short time the President of the United States, (and the subject of a current TV series) was the principal of Hiram College in Ohio, one father asked him if the course of his son’s studies could not be shortened, so that his son might be able to complete his studies in less time. “Certainly,” Garfield replied. “But it all depends on what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak, He takes one hundred years. When He wants to make a squash, He requires only two months.”
God love you and give you, His peace.
Rev. Peterson’s Reading & Gospel Summary
Reading I: Isaiah 58: 7-10
True religion requires easing the burdens of others by providing them with the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter. That makes the provider a true light in the darkness.
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5
God saves the world through what is held to be foolish and weak. In that way God alone can be praised for the result.
The Gospel: Matthew 5: 13-16
Disciples described as “salt” means that they season and preserve the world for God. As “light” they are to bear witness to Jesus and His message so that they shine out to the world.