need to address you who are not part of them.
I now speak to all the rest of you, the parishioners of St. Mary’s
Cathedral Parish. You are the faithful and loyal disciples that the Lord Jesus
desires.”
How can I, as one of “the few“, in my hunger for a miracle for our son Daniel through the intercession of the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, remain “satisfied” in Christ, even as Bishop Zurek and Father Tony seem to have no appetite for the fullness of this request—leading me to embrace the freedom and sobriety of being excluded, yet ultimately rejoice in the deeper nourishment found in the Church Christ built on the Rock❓
Lectio Divina on the word “satisfied“
Reading I
There was a time when I sought to be satisfied by the approval of clergy, by the belief that if I presented the truth clearly enough, justice would follow. But the more I trusted in human beings and sought strength in their flesh, the more disillusioned I became. “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh.“ My hunger for justice and faithfulness was met with avoidance, dismissal, and rejection. I see now that no human institution, no matter how sacred, can fully satisfy the longing for truth that only God can fulfill.
Responsorial Psalm
Yet even as doors close and voices fall silent, I do not despair. I find satisfaction in knowing that my hunger is seen by the One who never turns away. “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.“ Hope does not come from earthly assurances but from the certainty that God’s justice is greater than man’s indifference. I may not see the miracle I long for in the way I expect, but I trust that God is working beyond what my eyes can see, satisfying my soul with His presence.
Reading 2
Still, there are moments when the weight of exclusion and rejection presses down, and I feel the sting of isolation. The world sees only the struggle, the seeming futility of my persistence, and may call it foolishness. But I remember the greater perspective: “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.“ My hunger is not just for a miracle in this life, but for the eternal satisfaction that only Christ can provide. If I place my hope solely in what I can grasp here and now, I will always be left wanting.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia. So I choose to rejoice, even in the midst of uncertainty. I rejoice because my hunger is a sign that I have not settled for less than what God has promised. “Rejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven.“ Every rejection, every unanswered request, every struggle to be heard is an opportunity to lean more fully into the abundance of God’s grace. The satisfaction I seek is not found in human validation but in the knowledge that my faithfulness is seen by the One who truly matters. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus came down with the Twelve
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
and without regard for what binds them together, but to set them up as a people who would
acknowledge Him in truth and serve Him in holiness” (LG 9).”
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
And so, as I stand in the place of exclusion, I do not waver. My hunger remains, but unlike our Barbados Blackbelly rams at The Glenn, it is no longer a source of despair—it is a promise of fulfillment. For I know that God, who sees all things, will provide in His perfect way and time.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Such sobriety, when lived freely and consciously, is liberating. It is not a lesser life or one lived with less intensity. On the contrary, it is a way of living life to the full. In reality, those who enjoy more and live better each moment are those who have given up dipping here and there, always on the look-out for what they do not have. They experience what it means to appreciate each person and each thing, learning familiarity with the simplest things and how to enjoy them. So they are able to shed unsatisfied needs, reducing their obsessiveness and weariness.
FROM PARAGRAPH 223 OF THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME