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| Caution! Mole Crossing! |
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
Today’s first reading echoes the weariness of sin we heard in the first reading yesterday:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Sin is like flying. It takes enormous energy and, inevitably, one must return to earth. Whether your flight is human-powered or jet-fueled, you have to land sooner or later. And your power will be spent.
In today’s first reading we hear the resolution of the exhausted sinner who doesn’t quite realize where the problem lies:
…he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up….
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up….
This poor soul feels exhausted but doesn’t see that his willful attitudes and ill-conceived decisions are the problem. This is the one who quotes I Corinthians 10:13:
God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”
He doesn’t realize God neither inspired nor sponsored this project in the first place. In fact, God opposed it from the get-go.
God's inspiration empowers. It works with our nature, not against it. If we're dead set on doing what we want to do, and then ask God's help, we've put the cart before the horse. God plays assistant to no one.
True obedience begins with the decision, "I want to do only God's will!" It then sits down to listen for God's voice and direction. When that direction comes -- in its own time! -- Obedience knows what to do. And it has the wherewithal to do it.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.