Isaiah 55:1-3 / Romans 8:35, 37-39 / Matthew 14:13-21
Whenever we talk about relationships, we are talking about a very complex matter.
It is complex because it includes multiple aspects of life, like the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual.
And when we talk about relationships, we’re not referring to relationships with things like the mobile phone or computer or the car.
Neither are we referring to relationships with our pets, whether it is our dogs or cats on whatever pets we may have.
We are talking about human relationships, and these can either be blood relations or friendships that we have built along the way.
The gospel begins with this sentence: When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death, He withdrew to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.
We would be able to feel what Jesus felt especially when we have gone through the experience of the death of a loved one or someone who is close to us.
As we may recall, Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins. The gospels did not tell us much about their personal relationship.
But we can presume that they knew each other from young, played together, had a meal together and talked about life whenever they met. At least it can be said that they had something in common.
So when Jesus received the news of the death of John the Baptist, it affected Him. It was a tragic death. John the Baptist was executed by King Herod. It was a life cut short at its prime.
And that’s why Jesus wanted to withdraw to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. It is understandable that He wanted to grieve over the death of John the Baptist.
He had lost a cousin, a friend and the one who baptized Him and pointed Him out as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
As much as Jesus wanted to spend some time alone, but when He saw a large crowd, He knew what John the Baptist would have wanted Him to do.
So Jesus took pity on them, healed the sick and even fed the crowd.
As we think about all this, let us also remember our departed loved ones. We may have fond memories of them, we may have regrets, we may be carrying a legacy that they have left behind.
But one thing for sure is that our relationships with them have not passed on. Rather their memory lives on in our hearts.
And we also believe that they are alive in another realm. And they would hope that we would live our lives on earth joyfully, peacefully, fruitfully and meaningfully.
As much as the hopes and aspirations of our departed loved ones live on in us, a deeper aspect of this lies in how Jesus wants us to live our lives on earth.
If John the Baptist was an inspiration for Jesus, then our departed loved ones are also signs and directions for us as to how to live our lives here on earth.
May we live our lives joyfully, peacefully, fruitfully and meaningfully, so that we will serve God faithfully, and be signs and directions and inspiration for others.