God's Covenant Last Forever

 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Jer 31:33

God cannot simply give up on us. Though the Israelites broke the Covenant he made with them, God promises Jeremiah that he will make a new covenant with his people, one not written on stone tablets, but on the hearts of those he loves. This new covenant will assure everyone that God's covenant is not simply a set of rules or regulations to which we must respond, but an act of love, a gift that though we will never fully appreciate it, will keep us close to God in every circumstance.

Though it may not be as full or fulsome as God's covenant, most of us have experienced the blessing of a covenant with others. The married, of course, but also those of us who have been promised the free love of another for the asking. Surely, those of us who went as pilgrims to Africa recently, knew this gift. Often, I felt surrounded by all those who were praying and thinking of us.

The free gift of those who accompanied us in Spirit reminded me of my father's question to me as a boy whenever he was able to come to one of my baseball games. He never asked if we won the game, but only if I had fun. While I did not realize it at the time, my father was helping me understand more deeply that life was not all about winning and losing, but enjoying and celebrating each moment of life. In many ways, God asks nothing more of us, only that we celebrate life at every juncture and realize that He is never far.

Today, be grateful for the Covenant God makes with us in Jesus.

Who has assured you that despite your faults, they will never abandon you?

Hearing God's Voice

 "So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, 'Why did you not bring him?The guards answered, 'Never before has anyone spoken like this man.'" Jn 7 45-46

There should be little doubt that the Jewish authorities were not worried about Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. False prophets and healers were a dime a dozen and it was rarely difficult to undermine the authority and power of popular healers by challenging them regarding their knowledge of and commitment to the Torah.

Jesus was different. Not only did he know the Law, he lived its spirit in challenging ways, and a reading of the New Testament demonstrates this convincingly. Jesus was not trying to undermine the authority of the Jewish leaders, but wanted them to reform their lives, put aside their fear of the Roman authorities, and see in him God's presence and power. Only when the Jewish leaders refused to acknowledge their own sins and dismiss the voice of everyday people did Jesus condemn them and call them "whitened sepulchers." (Mt 23:27)

Today, let yourself be amazed at the healing power of the Lord.

Does the Gospel continue you challenge you to transformation?

Suffering for the Truth

   "His hour had not yet come." Jn 7:30

For most of us, thank God, life makes sense most of the time. We are blessed with homes, friends, food and family. We have resources upon which we can call when we are in trouble or sick. We know, even if we do not always appreciate it, that we are not alone.

Learning to accept and even be grateful for life as it comes to us, no matter the suffering it brings, is one of the hardest lessons we learn. We push back, avoid, deny and wrestle with the dark turns that life brings us. Archbishop Oscar Romero knew that if he continued to speak on behalf of the poor he would likely be murdered, but he could not and chose not to avoid this awful burden. That he gave his life for the gospel continues to uplift all, but especially those who work among and with the poor. Suffering is not good in itself, but suffering for the sake of the truth and the voiceless is sanctity.

Today, accept whatever comes to you with gratitude.

Have you known anyone who gave their life for the sake of others?

Moses and God

  "Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, “Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand?" Ex 32:11

Moses' intimacy with God amazes us. Never afraid to negotiate with God, even and especially when the Jews turn away from God after being freed from the oppression of the Egyptians, Moses keeps reminding God of his promises to never abandon his people. Sure of God's mercy, Moses challenges God to act with compassion even when the Jews build a molten calf and worship it. Remarkably, despite the idolatry of the Jewish people, God listens.

The listening God we encounter in the scripture is anxious for us to repent and renew ourselves, and as Moses demonstrates, seems only too ready to respond when we ask for help. Like the Forgiving Father in the Gospel (Lk 15: 11-32), God rushes out to meet us at the first sign of our guilt and sorrow. More, God cannot do enough for us when we repent. God puts cloaks around our cold shoulders, rings on our broken fingers, and sandals of our battered feet to demonstrate how gratified he is to embrace us and welcome us home.

Intimacy with God will get us everywhere. When, no matter how dark life feels or how disturbed we are by the direction our life has taken, we pray, listen and take time for God, God will hear and respond to us in ways we could never imagine. Lent reminds to pray, fast and give alms. Any of these penances demonstrates our desire for God and will surely get a response.

Today, imagine God rushing out to meet you in the dark.

What have been your experiences of God's enfolding love?

Role Reversal

  "Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people?" Ex 32:11

Moses had a fascinating relationship with God. Today it almost seems like role reversal. Because Moses has passed through his anger at his own people, he becomes the peacemaker. God is enraged and ready to strike a death blow against the Jewish people because of their depravity, but Moses does what any of us do with good friends when they are about to act in a rash way and hurt themselves and others. He lets God express his anger, but then reminds God not to forget how good he is and how many promises he has made.

Moses says: "Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.'" Helping God to remember his goodness and promises softens God's disappointment and we read, "So the Lord changed his mind about the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people." (Ex 32:14)

Moses' relationship with God is the key to his success. Because he has come to know God, and respects God's rage, he is able to intercede for his people.  The same is true for all of us. Trying to negotiate and make sense with others, especially if they have power, will only end in failure if we do not work at knowing and respecting them. Authentic relationships have the power to heal.

Today, listen with respect to those with whom you disagree.

Has anyone ever listened to you with acceptance and compassion when you were hurt and angry?

Gratitude to God for his Cleansing Love

  “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jn 5:7

Flowing waters evoke growth, life and hope in and around us. They remind us that God wants to feed us, desires that we live along the fresh waters of a river so that we can benefit from the fruit and vegetables that will flourish there. Flowing waters also remind us of baptism and God's desire to cleanse us for service to others.

The difficulty faced by the fellow who has been ill for 38 years is clear. His disability doesn't allow him to enter the flowing waters, and he has no one to help him.  That he would still desire to know the cleansing and healing waters after suffering for 38 years is remarkable in itself, and Jesus, the one who will be known as flowing waters, rewards his patience and dream by telling him to take up his mat and walk.

Healed, the newly cleansed fellow faces his greatest challenge. Will he realize that his healing is a call to serve others, especially those who have been suffering for a long time? Unless he does, his new life will fail to bear the fruit promised by God to those living near flowing waters. The lesson should not be lost on us.

Today, be grateful for the cleansing waters of Baptism.

What kind of service has most enriched your life?

Long Life in God

 "No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying; No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime." Is 65:20

Isaiah's promise that God wants us to live a long life of peace, especially when we read and reflect upon it during Lent, is designed to assure us that no matter what difficulties we might be experiencing individually or as a church, God is and will be faithful. God has a plan full of promise, beauty and joy, a desire for all to know the fullness of life forever.

At the same time, it can be difficult to wait upon God. We want what we want when we want it, and when we become too anxious, we fail to be discerning and patient. Clarity can and will come to us if only we quiet ourselves, listen carefully to the scriptures, read the signs of the times, and allow God to work through us.

Today, rest in God's promise of life forever.

What practices most help you live a peaceful life of quiet discernment?