Trinity VII- Mark 8:1-9

 The Gospel for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity is from St. Mark 8:1-9. This is one of several gospel accounts of feeding the multitudes (there is similar account in St. Mark 6). In addition to the miracle itself which is a manifestation of Christ's divine power over nature, the story of Christ feeding the 4000 shows us several things about our Lord's earthly mission.  It shows Christ's compassion toward the physical hunger of crowds (8:2). In addition, the setting of this particular feeding is in a Gentile area near Galilee. This fact implies that Christ's compassion extends to all sorts and conditions of humanity.

Furthermore, the context shows that our Lord has a deep concern for spiritual hunger. The people that He feeds physically are those who hunger for His words, His spiritual nourishment. They are people who have followed Jesus out into the countryside and listened to His teachings for three days. They are physically hungry because in the words of the Sermon on the Mount, they "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). So here we see Christ's special mercy for those who seek to follow Him.

Besides telling us about Christ's earthly ministry, our Gospel also teaches us about the continuing mission of the Church.  1) Like our Lord, we should manifest compassion for the basic physical needs of human beings, such as hunger. 2) Christian concern for both physical and spiritual needs is universal. That is, compassion extends to all people. Although compassion is most often expressed in our everyday human contacts, it must extend to anyone that we meet who has a physical or spiritual need.

3) This compassion for human hunger also has spiritual dimensions. Indeed, while it may be less obvious, spiritual hunger is a deeper need. Human beings are designed for fellowship with God. Even when people are not aware of its existence, there is a spiritual hunger in every soul which can only be supplied by Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are all called to point others to Christ who continues to nourish human souls through His Word and His Sacraments.

Trinity V- Luke 5: 1-11

 The Gospel for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity is St. Luke's account of the call of the apostles (Luke 5:1-11). It points out that the first disciples were Galilean fishermen who allowed Jesus to use their boat to teach the crowds. Then it adds that these fishermen had a poor night of fishing and that Jesus guides them to a great catch. Simon Peter is amazed and frightened because of Jesus' holy power. Jesus ignores such fear and calls Peter and the others to follow Him. He promises that they will catch people for the kingdom. They accept the call and leave their fishing business to others.

The miraculous catch of fish is an amazing event in itself, but it is also a miracle that points beyond itself. It can be applied in three ways. 1) It shows us the nature and character of Jesus Christ. He is the holy Lord of creation who can work in strange and surprising ways. When He comes among us, we should honor Him, trust Him, and obey Him. 2) It shows that Christ can bless those who follow Him in both material and spiritual ways. These blessings may be as ordinary as fish and as mysterious as an awareness of divine presence and power. 3) The miracle points to Jesus' ministry of gathering people for the kingdom of God. It is a call to discipleship. Like Peter and the other fishermen, we have a vocation. We are called to follow Jesus in all things and to share in His mission of seeking people for God's kingdom. The specifics vary according to our talents. gifts, and circumstances, but all are asked to contribute to Christ's mission.

Trinity IV- Romans 8:18

The Epistle for this Fourth Sunday after Trinity begins with one of many favorite verses. Romans 8:18 says, "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." These sacred words remind us that Christians have a different perspective on earthly life from the perspectives of other human beings. Even in the good times, careful consideration shows that earthly happiness and pleasure are fleeting. Each human individual has his/her times of trial, pain, and suffering. Every culture, nation, or social group has difficult times. A glance at events near or far shows diverse problems, disasters, and threats. Despite many blessings and joys, the realities of life on earth can be very disheartening.

However, as St. Paul also points out, the sufferings of this present time do not have the final word. Christians have faith and hope in Jesus Christ who suffered and died, but rose in glory. Because of Christ, we consider the glory that shall be revealed in us as members of the Body of Christ. Whatever the trials of our personal lives, our family, our particular church, our country, or the general human experience, we abide in Christian hope.

Trinity III- Luke 15: 1-10

The Gospel for the Third Sunday after Trinity is Luke 15:1-10, and it contains two brief parables- about the lost sheep and about the lost coin. The context makes it clear that our Lord is talking about sinners lost to God. Some extreme approaches to this theme have left a bad aftertaste, and nowadays, even sincere Christians may hesitate to speak of people lost in sin. 

Yet, Scripture in general, and our Lord Jesus Christ, in particular, are not hesitant to speak of lost people and the condition of being lost. Indeed, according to Holy Scripture, all human beings have been lost, and apart from divine grace, all remain lost. As the daily general confession in the Book of Common Prayer says, "we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep" (based on Isaiah 53:6 and 1 Peter 2:25). So at some moments in time, all human beings are lost, and all need to be found by Christ and His Church.

Seeking the lost has two important applications in our lives. First, each of us as Christians should acknowledge that in differing ways and at different times, we have all been lost and that we have tendencies to get lost repeatedly. So we all depend upon divine mercy, grace, and persistence in seeking us out-- in the past, in the present, and in each new day. 

God seeks us in many ways such as through subtle promptings of the Holy Spirit, conscience, life events, general reading, and encounters with other people, but chiefly He seeks us through Word and Sacrament. Thus, we should be aware that God is always seeking us, and we need to be open to being found by Him.

Secondly, in addition to being sought by God, as members of the Body of Christ, we Christians are called to participate in the Lord's work of seeking and finding the lost. We are not to approach this calling with the wrong attitude. We are not to pretend to be some perfect paragons of virtue. Rather, we are to be humble. As sinners ourselves, we have benefited from the mercy and grace of God. We rejoice in divine mercy and grace, and we want to share that good news with others. We want each lost person to be found and to know the joy of returning to God. 

So let us be open to God’s work in our lives and to our participation in Christ’s work in the world. May each of us be found by God, and may each of us do our small part to help others be found by God!