Friday, October 1, 2021

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 459

During the Babylonian captivity, the exiles prayed:
“Justice is with the Lord, our God; and we today are flushed with shame, we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem, that we, with our kings and rulers and priests and prophets, and with our ancestors have sinned in the Lord’s sight and disobeyed him.

The mark of a Christian is penance, the acknowledgement of personal and communal guilt. We have inherited this gift from our Jewish ancestors. 

King David, after Bathsheba-gate, blazed the trail of owning personal guilt. The prophet Nathan publicized his rape of Bathsheba, his murder of Uriah, the betrayal of his military code of honor, and his violation of his anointing as king. He did not attempt to put a different spin on the story, nor did he blame Bathsheba. The poet-king owned his guilt with Psalm 51 and pleaded with God for forgiveness. Which was granted. Granted and then some for the LORD promised him that one of his own descendants would rule forever. 

The acknowledgement of personal and communal sin is a dominant theme throughout succeeding generations as we find it in the Old Testament psalms, prophets, and laws. It is picked up immediately in the Christian tradition; we hear Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, singing God's praises for he will "give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins...."

It is ironic today that, in the face of Black Lives Matter, Me Too and Climate Change, many self-avowed Christians loudly declare their innocence of all guilt. They are unwilling to examine their own lives, the lives of their immediate ancestors, and the continuing compromise of America's sacred commitment to equality, solidarity, and freedom. These "conservatives" have forgotten the most conservative of all principles, the willingness to accept God's mercy and reconciliation with their neighbors. They presume their entitlement as Christians but will not assume the yoke that is easy or the burden that is light

The Lord's invitation remains, "Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 

The prophets -- and especially Baruch in today's first reading -- remind us of what must happen to the nation that does not and will not repent. As Jesus said to the man at the pool of Bethesda, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” 


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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.