Thursday of the third week of Lent

This is what I commanded my people:

Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.

Throughout the scriptures we hear God calling his people to repentance. We hear of his tender mercies, his ready forgiveness, and his overwhelming generosity. And we hear of the people’s stony refusal to “walk in all the ways that I command you….”

What is the pious soul to do? Can she turn away from God’s people and appeal to God as an individual divorced from her people, nation and Church? Can she start or join another group that is worthy of the divine covenant?

Christians have often made this choice. Our history if filled with stories of sectarian groups who separated themselves from the body of the church to find another way. They have often denounced even the saints of the past, supposing that none are saved but the few who joined their way in “these latter days.” But these attempts, usually founded on the unsuspected vanity of their founders, inevitably collapse.

More often pious souls enlist with a group within the church: a sodality, third order, or regular order. In the history of the church there are thousands of such groups, and no one knows how many there are today. In these groups they find a kindred spirit to encourage their aspiration to holiness. Very likely, they’ll also find enough foolishness to remind them that sin still abides in every heart. The group, out of its own traditions, will provide guidance, challenge and opportunities for mercy. With God’s blessings they will be a blessing to the Church, communities and nations where they live. They will “Walk in all the ways that I command you” and they will prosper.