Lectionary: 276and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
In Saint Matthew’s Gospel, when Peter states his belief that Jesus is “the Messiah, the son of the living God” Jesus exclaims “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”
My principle duty in the VA hospital is to visit the
Catholic patients. That covers a very broad spectrum of persons, male and
female. Some are Catholic because they are married to Catholic spouses; some
were baptized Catholic but given no instruction; many were raised as Catholic
but quit the church as soon as they left home; and many remain with their
spouses and children as faithful members of the Church today.
I see in this last group not a bunch of conformists who go
along to get along. Quite the contrary, these Veterans have a very personal
relationship with God. “The Father” has drawn them to Jesus and his Church. They
do not bluster about their religiosity; they claim no distinction apart from
other men or women. Most speak of particular moments when God intervened in
their lives. There was an epiphany, a dream, a near-death experience or an
awakening which changed the course of their lives.
Not that those experiences are so rare. Just about everyone has
heard God’s call at some point in their life, but these individuals pondered
them – as Mary pondered the revelatory events in her life – and let them reorient
them toward grace, community and peace of mind.
In today’s gospel Jesus quotes Jeremiah. That prophet has been called
history’s first individual, and the most Christ-like of all the prophets. Jeremiah
knew God’s call early in his life; it set him apart from his coreligionists, neighbors
and family. He could neither act like them nor think like them, and he suffered
the consequences, becoming more Christ-like with each passing day.
Those whom God has set apart have heard the Call and know
they are loved by God. They experience that particular grace in the Eucharist
each Sunday, and in the confessional, where they name their particular sins. They
feel it as they recite their rosaries, receive the kindness of their spouses
and make sacrifices for their children.
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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.