July 25,2021

July 22, 2021

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
St. Oscar Romero said, “We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is the beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.”
There were a group of ladies many years ago who made quilts. They were beautiful creations reflecting inspirational designs artfully composed from the simple scraps of fabric each woman would bring to their individual pieces. There was no plan for the finished project as each finished work became the combined creation of what each woman contributed. They abounded in vibrant colors and dazzled the beholder with intricate patterns and their myriad textures. They were so beautiful that they became coveted family treasures passed from generation to generation. Those women never realized the power of their work. Countless babies rested in the comfort of those quilts warmly nestled in the legacy of tradition they were fortunate to inherit. They adorned countless homes with their beauty and brought joy and solace to many faces.
We cannot do everything. We are not meant to. Our work in life is to contribute our individual piece, a piece that reflects the unique thumbprint I claim as my own. We only have to do small things well. Then, as St. Oscar Romero reminds us, the Lord’s grace will enter and do the rest. We have to trust that this is true just as those women trusted in the eventual beauty of their final work.
Eucharistic blessings are blessings that start small and multiply. We all come to life with only a few loaves of bread and a few fish. Not any single one of us has all that it takes to transform our world. Who knows what God will do with the little we have and how many will benefit from our kindness, compassion, wisdom, courage, conviction, love, warmth, zeal, faith, and hope? That young lad never dreamed that his few leftovers would do all that they did. God shows up in unexpected ways! Where would life’s adventure and fun be if it were any other way? Being able to be part of bringing God’s creative, transforming, healing to the world opens us up to wonder, awe, and excitement! We can all bring our little piece to the bigger work of God that can result in being a coveted jewel passed generation to generation. This is good news indeed!
Bread and wine transform into Christ’s Body and Blood and we become what we eat. Trust that. ©LPi