Dear People of God,

Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the 20th century said, "The need of the world is to listen to God"

God's message for us is: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst." What a powerful statement! The message for this week concerns faith and its promises. It is an obedient attitude to the will of God: Trusting and believing that the promises God has made for us through Jesus Christ are true.

Far away in a lonely desert stands a water pump in the sand. Tied to it, is a hand written sign: "I have buried a bottle of water to prime the pump. Don't drink any of it. Pour in half of it to wet the leather. Wait, and then pour in the rest. The well has never gone dry, but the pump must be primed to bring the water up. When you are through drawing water, fill the bottle and bury it in the sand for the next traveler."

You are a solitary traveler, and your canteen is empty and you come upon that pump. What would you do? Will you dig the 'water bottle' from the sand and drink from it? Or will you have faith to pour every drop of it down into the old trusty pump? Do you believe and trust in that written message by the water pump, or do you only worry about your own thirst and drink from the water bottle knowing that the water will give you enough strength to go on? What would you do? Because you trust, you take a risk, both for yourself and for the next person who will pass that way.

This week, Jesus confronts the Jews about their selfish reasons for following him. He remarks that they did not come after him because they had seen signs of his Divinity. Instead, they thought that if they could convince Jesus to become king, they could live lives free from worry and hard work. Jesus admonishes the people who have sought him to broaden their perspective and to focus more than simply the physical aspects of life. Do we believe in God and all God's promises?

It is like a ship which was returning from an oversea voyage entering the St. Lawrence River. A heavy fog enveloped the ship on all side, completely concealing the shores and all objects from the view of the passengers. Much to their amazement, the ship continued at full speed. They became frightened considering such speed as extremely reckless on the part of the captain.

Finally, one of the passengers expressed concerns to the mate, demanding that the ship be slowed down. The mate listened, then replied with a smile: "O don't be afraid, the passengers need not be uneasy in the least. The fog extends up only a short way above the water, and the captain is at the masthead, and is up above the fog and it is he who is directing the vessel."

Jesus is asking us to believe and trust in God as the captain of our ship directing us above all the foggy situations of life that we cannot understand. God is directing our ship of life. God loves us and wants us all, to have a life that is abundant with all the blessings.

Yours in Christ,
Father Lawrence