Religion is Relationship.

July 5: Saturday of Week 13 of Ordinary Time, Year A-II:

Amos 9:11-15; Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14; Matthew 9:9-13

To surrender to Jesus expressing himself through us in ministry.

Religion is Relationship.

“The Lord speaks of peace to his people.” Responsorial, Psalm 85:9

For days God has been telling the people through Amos that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between their refusal to obey him and their experience of suffering. Sins have built-in consequences. But in today’s reading, “The Lord speaks of peace to his people.” The bottom line is, God is a Person, and in his love for us as persons he overcomes even the evil we bring on ourselves by our sins. “I will bring about the restoration of my people.” More important than objective cause-and-effect, or even objective good and evil, is the relationship we have with God.

Jesus teaches the same when they ask him about fasting. Fasting is not just some objectively good practice that goes with being “religious.” Jesus says the real value of fasting is in what it expresses of the relationship we have, or want to have, with God. Leave out personal relationship, and no religious acts—even keeping the Commandments—are what they should be. Religion is a relationship between persons consciously interacting with each another.

Jesus says true fasting expresses awareness of hunger for God. We need to ask what we are expressing in all our religious acts; e.g. when we go to Mass or say prayers, sin or refuse to sin. What are we saying about our relationship with God?

PRAY before you act: “Lord, you are my....”

PRACTICE: Always ask why you do what you do.