...when you come to serve the LORD,
stand in justice and fear,
prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast,
incline your ear and receive the word of understanding,
undisturbed in time of adversity.
We often celebrate the gift of freedom. Of the three glorious blessings of the French Revolution -- Liberté, égalité, fraternité -- Americans talk most about liberty. With our automobiles, open highways and guns we live the dream of going where we want to go and doing what we want to do.
Egalité places second; and fraternité, a distant third. We really don't mind that there are unequal classes among us, so long as they live in a different location, location, location. Some are more equal than others. As to fraternity: there are some people we'd rather not include.
We love the blessing of freedom but don't often ponder its curse. We feel the pain when others take unwarranted liberties. Because freedom is bestowed upon every person and people act by their own principles, I often feel that someone has invaded my space. They might not have noticed. They have different ideas about the territory we share and how it should be divvied out. I might carry my injury and its resentment for many years because someone took something that I thought belonged to me.
Some people will blame God for their injuries. And why not? It was God who gave us the freedom to take from one another. And, usually, if we're waiting for God to punish the invading perpetrator, we wait an awfully long time. Freedom is not always fun. Sometime it's bitter.
Some people think freedom is "the right to be let alone." They would live in unclaimed, un-taxed, un-policed flood plains. "Oh give me land, lots of land with a starry sky above. Don't fence me in!"
But hermits usually return to civilization to spend their last days in a nursing home at taxpayer expense. I see them arriving in the hospital, exhausted, filthy, malnourished and dehydrated.This is no one's vision of freedom.
Real freedom means finding a place and role in society where we can participate fully. We give what we can and receive what we need, and enjoy the blessings and privileges of human community. It takes skill, dedication and courage.
Which brings us back to Jesus ben Sirach's teaching, "when you come to serve the LORD, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials."
Nowhere does the Bible say it's easy to live a good life. Rather, the Word of God admonishes us to expect to be tested to the limits of endurance and beyond, and to remain faithful through it all. Because we have embraced the curse of freedom, we can enjoy its gift.
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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.