Saturday in the 4th week of the ordinary time year 2
Theme: Divine upliftment
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and Martyr. A saint whose life invites us as Christians to holiness and purity of life. She willingly gave her life because of her faith in God. This brings us to a very important question, are you giving up anything because of your faith in God? The saints we celebrate in the Roman calendar gave up different things because of their faith in God. This is also seen in both the 1st reading and the gospel reading of today. In the 1st reading, Solomon could have requested for his personal comfort but he did not. In the gospel reading, the apostles could not get a deserved rest because of their selflessness.
When we are selfless, God has a way of blessing us with things that are good for us that we did not request from him. This is clearly seen in today’s 1st reading. Solomon asked God for the gift of discernment, and God was greatly pleased by his request, and as a result of that he also gave him riches and honour. Each time we look at the larger picture in any given situation, God has a way of uplifting us and giving us more than what we request for at that time from him. In view of this, one can say that selflessness attracts the blessings of God to us. We are all encouraged today to try to be selfless in our dealings with other people. It should not always be about our comfort at all times.
In the gospel reading, the apostles were tired was they were coming back from attending to the needs of the people. But they could not get their desired rest because the people knew their destination and was waiting for them. Jesus immediately started attending to the needs of the people and most likely the apostles too. We are all encouraged today to try to discomfort ourselves for the good of others sometimes, and not always about ourselves. May the Lord grant us a selfless spirit. Peace be with you.