But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment (2 Corinthians 1:22-23).

We seek security in so many ways, things, and others. We have insurance policies for our health, car, home, retirement, we may place our trust in family and friends, we may feel if we have enough in our savings, all will be well. None of these, in and of themselves are untrue. We are willing to invest our time and treasure in relationships, insurance policies and savings, but are we willing to invest the time in building a relationship with our ultimate reality and security – God? 

Life is fragile, fluid, and ever changing. What seems stable and a firm foundation at one moment reveals itself to be sand in the next. This is true with anything in the material realm, anything on earth, the solar system, or galaxies far, far, away.

God seeks the best for us, and we may have even felt a desire to get closer to him, yet can buy into the lie that he will ask something of us or ask us to do something that we really don’t want to. The reality is that he knows better than we do what we desire and seek in the depth of our souls. He knows us better than we know ourselves because he sees us as we truly are. He sees the fullness of who we are and who he calls us to be. He sees under, over, and through our doubts, anxieties, fears, selfishness, and human foibles of our fallen nature. He also sees the deep wounds, traumas, and hurts and wants to heal us and lead us to wholeness.

We can only see so far. We are limited by any, all, or different limitations than the above. We see only an aspect or glimmer of who we truly are. Many of us get confused early on and may feel better at times because we have accumulated what we may believe to be apparent goods, and we in deed may experience some actual and true goods. Good family, friends, meaningful work, and all seems to be going well. But then something can happen, and quickly, a job loss, an illness, an argument or major conflict, a death. If there is no ground beyond the human relationships and material comfort, where do we turn?

Also, even when all goes well, it can be perfected. Life can be better, because none of us are and life is far from perfect in this fallen world. Slowly, steadily moving in the direction of putting God first, acknowledging that he is God and we are not, and receiving the gift of him and his love as our foundation and true security does not mean life will be perfect, but it does mean that when the unpredictable events and storms of life arrive, we are not alone. God will accompany us through because we are his beloved children and he loves us. And that is a good place to start no matter where we are on the journey.

Photo: Going away party at St. John Fisher Catholic Church back in April where I was blessed to serve this past year.

Mass readings for Tuesday, June 13, 2023