I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea...
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." (G.K. Chesterton)
Christian theology insists that the Lord God is all powerful and can do whatever he wants. But he cannot lie. God's word is true; God's promises, though delayed, will be fulfilled. They are as certain as spring follows winter and autumn follows summer, as reliable as the phases of the moon.
So says Christian theology, and yet we're like the life-jacketed children who cannot jump into the water despite the assurances of their parents. We hold back, waiting for someone else to go first; and hold back again when they do. We cannot bring ourselves to trust the Lord and take him at his word.
And yet our world is built on trust. We cannot sleep at night without the assurance that we will be undisturbed and unmolested. We cannot eat our breakfast without the confidence that the food is safe. Chicken Little may delight in believing the sky is falling, but we walk about confidently without a helmet to protect us.
At the core of our world is the Word of God which sustains it. As Saint John said, "In the beginning was the Word...." We know that; we believe it; but we hesitate.
Deception is a way of life for many. I learned that as a boy when I was enchanted with an ad that purported to sell a toy rocket powered by an exotic-sounding chemical, H2O. My mother explained it to me and I knew I'd been had.
Hired guns manage the images of parties and their politicians to tell us what they want us to believe. Journalists don't ask who has the better plan or policy; they ask who has raised more money. The same image-makers tell us what we want to believe about athletes and entertainers; while influencers tell us what we should desire and cannot live without. Tragically, many believe in this make-believe world. Appearances are real to them, and they expect to see what should happen.
Christianity offers us better, more reliable images: the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the cross, the Word of God, the Creeds. We pay attention to these. First they heal our imagination, wounded by propaganda and pornography. Then they feed our souls with strength, and inspire us with energy.
Fed like sheep in green pastures, refreshed by the pure waters to which the Shepherd has led us, we hear again God's promises of prosperity like a river, and vindication like the waves of the sea.
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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.