Looking for truth and loyalty

A great example of truth and loyalty is the honeybee. Their cooperative, hard work produces something so sweet and gratuitous.

Jesus looks for unity from his followers, at His time and now, not uniformity!

Jesus loves diversity. Look at the men and women he chose as friends and disciples, both then and now! Jesus does look for people who do not just live and act, but act on the truth and do so with loyalty.

The ability for all followers to believe that Jesus is both the Son of God and Son of Man and that He gave us Himself to eat and to share. As we taste and see the goodness of the Lord, do we dare to act in His name? Joshua, in the first reading, wants the Chosen People to profess publicly their loyalty to the one true God, and to be responsible. Jesus, as He offers Himself as a living bread from heaven and claims it is his flesh for the salvation of the world, asks for the same!

Jesus wants them to hold to the truth — that the Father has sent Him, and with this generosity Jesus gives them Himself. St. Peter realizes this, and states in the Gospel, “Master, you have the words of eternal life to whom shall we go?”

Basically, what these readings this weekend are asking for is that whatever we do as disciples, we must be who we profess to be and be loyal in whatever lifestyle we live. Be who you say you are, in truth and loyalty.

A great example of truth and loyalty is the honeybee. Their cooperative, hard work produces something so sweet and gratuitous. Take some quiet time this week and watch some bees in action. They are so truthful and loyal. Their heads nestled into the center of pretty, yellow and purple late-summer flowers and heavy with pollen on their legs, as they moved from flower to flower to pollinate and lead to new flowers.

As they give quietly from their bodies to others, flower after flower is so dependent on that gift of the bee. Yet, as they gather the nectar for honey, that is their chief task — to bring that back to the hive and to the Queen Bee! They do not intend to pollinate; rather, pollination is a side effect as they move from one attractive flower to the next.

This is our challenge: To daily give the best of ourselves in truthful living back to the Father, as the bees bring the best nectar to the Queen Bee.

Yet, it is to also give to others, even though it may not seem to be much, the gift of self in word and action, as the bees give off and pollinate. Bees’ generative capacities accompany them as they follow their desires; and God assures us that if we follow the truth and faith in loyal love, our deepest desires will be generative — whether or not we ever see the effects of our giving to others!

Look at some bees and then walk in prayer, and quietly give of yourself to a good deed or to another person!