Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl, and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you. Then you shall remember your conduct and be ashamed when I take your sisters, those older and younger than you, and give them to you as daughters, even though I am not bound by my covenant with you. For I will re-establish my covenant with you,
that you may know that I am the LORD...
(NB: This post was written before the grand jury in Pennsylvania published its findings.)
Even in our decadent era, when most marriages do not survive until the death of one spouse, when most individuals have had several sexual partners before they marry, when a person is not considered promiscuous if he has less than six partners in one year, many people want and expect fidelity of their lovers, and complain if they don't get it. I suggested to one plaintiff, by way of helpful advice, "Outside the rules there are no rules;" but, obviously, I had no idea what I was talking about. Oddly, fidelity is still the expected standard, though apparently more honored in the breach than in observance.
The complaints are not new, as the Bible attests. Husbands and wives have struggled to keep their relationships intact since the beginning. Nor are these hurt, angry feelings new; jealousy, envy and covetousness plague every generation. Since prehistoric times, fathers, uncles and brothers have guarded their womenfolk against predators -- except when they were the predators. The world, both secular and religious, is still shocked when a priest, bishop or cardinal is caught in transgression. Nor is it the hypocritical shock of Captain Louis Renault. They seem genuinely surprised!
I once suggested to an eligible bachelor about to be married, "If you are propositioned by someone, reply, 'Thanks for the offer. I'll have my wife get back to you about that!" He didn't think it would be necessary but I supposed the word would get around pretty quick!
The standard remains and our Catholic religion still demands it of our members. To abandon the principle, to declare it unrealistic, idealistic or unnatural, is to renounce faith in the Lord who regards his people as his spouse.
The Prophet Ezekiel knew his contemporaries would understand God's rage about their neglect of the Law of Moses, both its ritual and ethical standards, if he described the Lord as an angry, jealous lover. The destruction of Jerusalem, the loss of a homeland, the displacement of thousands of people, the carnage, waste and destruction: it all made sense if God's anger is like a betrayed husband. "He's gone insane!" they might say, "...and who wouldn't?"
They had not supposed God could care so much! What was he losing by their haphazard religious observance, their neglect of widows and orphans, their cheating the gullible and their hostility to foreigners? They had assumed God should protect their sanctuary regardless of their infidelity? Isn't his love unconditional?
Apparently not. Or at least not as we supposed it is.
There is a lesson there for today's generation; and it's not just about sexual integrity. A nation that regards itself as blessed and Christian should get the message. The ominous signs are clear. No one will be able to say they were not warned.
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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.