Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers, who led them out of the land of Egypt, they followed the other gods of the various nations around them, and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.
Retiring from chaplaincy at the Louisville VA Hospital, I found a bosom of the Church at Mount Saint Francis. Here I have tried to relearn the disciplines of prayer and study without the stresses of the hospital meetings, expectations, and standard operating procedures. But the idols of American indolence have followed me: the TV, Internet, solitaire, etc. It's easy to be lazy.
Today's first reading and the whole Book of Judges recalls the indolence of a people who had been given the land of Canaan by a gracious God. They soon forgot that perilous adventure and the oath their fathers made before Joshua at Shechem. Nor did they remember what God had done for them:
"I sent the hornets ahead of you which drove them—the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites—out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow."I gave you a land you did not till and cities you did not build, to dwell in; you ate of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.“Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:12-14)
Because our spiritual ancestors, under the ordinary stresses of life in Palestine forgot their God, mixed with the local residents, and paid homage to less demanding idols, they suffered both the contempt of their new neighbors and the abandonment of their God. Their fathers had been warned that he is a jealous God who will not permit them to forget the Covenant that had so readily embraced. If married persons do not permit their partners to dally with former lovers, we should not expect our God to wait forever for a distracted people to return his love.
The Law of Moses, which they had also enthusiastically embraced, insisted that the Love of God is more than avoiding trouble. It is active and sincere worship of God accompanied by acts of mercy and justice, especially to the poor. Fidelity allows neither neglect of prayer nor selfish lifestyles.
Because our God has sacrificed everything to save us, we too must sacrifice everything to be worthy of his love. We find the fulfillment of his promises only by living worthily in deliberate fidelity, daring hope, and vigorous love.
We cannot expect our atheistic neighbors and secular society to admire religious fidelity and practical virtue. Their values are different and their goals are elsewhere. But we can expect the assurance of God's love and the enjoyment of his presence.
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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.