The 14th Sunday of
Ordinary Time, July 5, 2020. Gospel of St Matthew11:25-30. Theme: The Oasis of the Heart of Jesus
When I ponder Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel about finding
rest and refreshment in him, I can’t help but think that many of the people who
heard him thought of an oasis in the desert. You see, over half of Israel, it’s
southern region, is a huge dry desert that culminates in the Dead Sea, the
lowest point on planet Earth. So, they knew well what it meant to be hot, weary
and dusty as they went about their travels and labors.
An oasis was such a lifesaving sight and welcome retreat to
weary travelers in the desert. Without it they easily fell victim to serous
physical, emotional and mental threats to their lives. Like them we, too, can
be plagued with real difficulties and even spiritual death as we journey
through life. We need the Oasis of the Heart of Jesus, especially in these very
challenging times, to refresh us, lift us up and keep us going.
I don’t know about you, but in today’s physically distant
uber-restricted world, I sometimes feel like I am in a social desert. Often
drained and weary at times with how things are going – medically, socially and
politically, I need for an oasis of refreshment where I can be reinvigorated
and uplifted in all the mess. And that oasis for me is the Heart of Jesus where
I can find a wellspring of supernatural living water to refresh my sometimes-drooping
spirit.
I’ve found a safe quick way to this spiritual oasis that I
would like to share with you. It comes from one the Church’s greatest teachers
on prayer, St. Francis de Sales. He was
a 16th century bishop and author whose deep faith, gentle manner and
common sense approach to spirituality made him the most popular spiritual guide
of his times and even today. While many in his day were teaching that only
clergy or nuns could become dedicated disciples of Christ, he was writing books
for lay people, teaching them how to become saints by living in the Heart of
Jesus as they went about their various duties in the home, at work, and in
times of leisure.
To help us accomplish this, St. Francis taught a simple
style of prayer that could be followed by anyone, anywhere, anytime. He taught that the surest pathway that leads
us to the oasis of Jesus’ Heart is personal prayer, that is, speaking to Jesus
honestly and plainly in one’s own words. He cautioned people not to confuse
this with simply “reciting prayers”. He warned that if all one does is rattle
off memorized prayers they may never get to the point of encountering Jesus
person-to-person, heart-to-heart. They may never arrive at an oasis but instead
find themselves burdened with a plethora of devotions and an exhaustive menu of
spiritual exercises that will drain their spirits and eventually give them a
distaste for what they think is prayer.
Instead, St. Francis tells us to consciously place ourselves
in the presence of the Risen Lord and realize by faith – that is, by trust in
his word – that he is with us. We put away
anything that will disturb or distract us from our time with him. In this
intimate interpersonal exchange with Jesus, we share with him the various
thoughts and experiences of our lives, the good and the bad, asking him to help
us piece it together and make sense of it all. This is what makes our prayer
very personal.
During our conversation with Jesus we allow for times of
silence, no speaking on our part…we listen for his response. It might be a thought or an idea that pops
into our head. Perhaps a particular
Bible verse comes to mind or we may even sense words being spoken non-verbally
to our hearts, Jesus will direct us according to our own particular needs and
desires and so we can see that prayer is not a one-size fits all reality
because each of our lives are very different. Each of us has our own unique
Oasis in the Heart of Jesus.
St. Francis de Sales designed a visual aid to help us
remember these simple aspects of our prayer time. He used the image of a Heart and within it
were the two words “Live Jesus!” Try to picture that in your mind for a moment
and let it settle there (pause, ponder). Each part of this emblem is meant to remind
us of how to pray and help us draw spiritual water from the Oasis of the Heart
of Jesus for our lives.
The heart in this emblem is a reminder of our commitment to
personal prayer. St. Francis tells us
that this prayer-time must be a non-negotiable in our daily lives. Since the
heart is a symbol of both the person and of love it is a good reminder that our
prayer time with Jesus is all about building a relationship of love. The words
“Live Jesus!” reminds us that in our prayer time we will receive direction from
Christ in how to become more like him in our everyday dealings and behaviors. Both
parts – the praying and the doing - are necessary if we hope to be rested and
refreshed as we journey through life.
This daily spiritual encounter is our essential quality
time with Jesus if we hope to experience the truth of his words to us I today’s
Gospel where he says, “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will
give you rest.” When we commit to daily prayer and to doing our best to put its
lesson into practice, we will gradually experience what it means to “Live Jesus”.
And once we form a habit of doing this daily, a pattern of mindful behavior will
emerge from our prayer, flowing out of our spiritual Oasis in the desert of
life, and we will begin to “Live Jesus” in everything that we do and say: at
home, at work and in our recreation.
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