Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

Lectionary: 239

Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.'
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?

 I n the beginning of salvation history, the LORD promised our father in faith Abraham, 

I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.

All the families of the earth will find blessing in you.

He repeated the promise with assurances that the gentile nations would admire the wisdom and intelligence of the Jews who were governed by such wonderful laws. Attracted by the dignity, beauty, mercy, and justice of Jewish life they would come to Jerusalem to be instructed in God's ways and worship him. 

Catholics and Christians are those nations. Drawn by the Spirit and fascinated by the Church in its many variations throughout the world, we have accepted that ancient story and made it our own history. Baptized into the Body of Christ and grafted onto the genealogical tree of Abraham, we gratefully live by the revealed Way in which Saint Paul had been born, which he then persecuted, and finally embraced.

We hope that our fellow citizens, despite their Facebook happiness and faux security -- or despite their resentment, fear, anger, and hopelessness -- will be drawn by the hope which we display so readily by our charity and good spirit. They might not be fascinated by our theology, they might be skeptical of our myths, but they have to admire our manner of life. That, more than anything, should be our appeal. 

Lent reminds us our failure to live in that lovely manner. We too often wear our fears, doubts, and resentments on our faces. They're heard in our words, and manifest in our behavior. Too often, we give our neighbors reason to mock our Prince of Peace for we are not a peaceful people, nor do they see our Just Judge in our vindictive attitudes. 

Moses teaches us what we must do,

...take care and be earnestly on your guard

not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,

nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,

but teach them to your children and to your children's children."

Our life begins not in trying harder to be good -- that's a waste of time -- but in remembering and reflecting on our own experience of God's goodness, both our personal memories and the history of our faith. Reading scripture, patristics and lives of the saints, praying their psalms and singing their songs, we remember what has drawn us to God in the first place. And by that, we rediscover our confidence in God's Spirit. 

In the words of Saint Francis, "While we have time, let us do good!"