By Pat Haggerty

This morning, when I turned on my iPad, I wanted to check my email.  I was told to “join a network.”  Obviously I had lost my internet connection.  That often happens on a computer too.  You are directed to “connect to a network.”  It all sounds so friendly---“join,” “connect,” or “choose a network.”  It’s as if they want us to connect and belong.  That’s all well and good until we experience frustration over a slow connection or the inability to find a network.  That’s when our patience is put to the test.  We accept it, though, as part of what we do in this era of technology and social media.

This got me thinking.  Our ability to connect with God is so much simpler!  We don’t have to connect to a network; we already are connected to His network.  All we have to do is ask for His help, call Him in prayer and seek Him in our hearts.  The point is we need to reach out to God.  He is always there waiting for our knock.

The psalm for the twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time speaks to this very point.  It is psalm 145 and its refrain is as follows:  “The Lord is near to all who call upon him.” This is so reassuring!  So comforting! We can find strength in the nearness of God.

Looking further at the psalm (vs.17-20), we read:

“The Lord is just in all his ways and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of all who fear him, he also hears their cry, and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love him; but all the wicked he will destroy.”

We are children of God and belong to Him.  We don’t need a special invitation to connect.  He is near to us at all times.  We don’t need an iPad, a computer or a Smartphone to connect with God.  All we need is our desire, our faith and our love to connect to our God and Savior.

Let us go to Him often.  He is waiting for us to reach out.