Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Today's Word
"All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, buy and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." - Isaiah 55:1 Full readings at USCCB
Real Talk
Isaiah asks a question worth actually sitting with: why do you spend your money on food that doesn't fill you? Why keep going back to the thing that hasn't satisfied you yet?
Most people have a pretty clear answer to this if they're honest. The thing that looked like it would make everything feel okay, that you kept pursuing, that didn't deliver. Not because you're doing something wrong - but because it can't do what only God can do.
Jesus heard his cousin John had just been executed. He got in a boat to try to be alone. He didn't make it - the crowds followed him on foot. He stepped off the boat and was immediately with five thousand people who needed things. He healed them and fed all of them from five loaves and two fish, with twelve baskets left over.
Then Paul says: nothing can separate you from God's love. Not the worst thing. Not death. Not anything.
Your Challenge
Intellectual: Isaiah asks: why do you spend your wages on what fails to satisfy? Take that question seriously. What is the thing in your life right now that you keep going back to expecting it to fill you, and it doesn't quite? You don't have to solve it - just name it honestly. That naming is the beginning of the move toward the water.
One Prayer
Lord, I'm thirsty for something I haven't been able to name. Come to the water, you said. I'm coming. Nothing separates me from your love. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Amen.
You are not alone. Submit your intentions and they'll be carried to Holy Hour this Sunday.
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