Tag: God keeps promises

Ezekiel 37: Deliverance and Reunion
Ezekiel 37: Deliverance and Reunion

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Adapted from a Favorite written on August 14, 2010.

Today we read about the dry bones brought to life out of the dust of nothingness – about Israel and Judah reuniting in the metaphor of the two sticks – and the promise to us of deliverance and reunion.

Oh my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the Lord. I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

From yesterday’s MAGNIFICAT Evening Prayer Mini-Reflection: Because we have been forgiven, we know the way of forgiveness; because we have been healed, we know the way of healing; because we have known God, we know the way of God. The gifts given to us are gifts for us to give. This introduces Psalm 86:11-17, and James 2:12-13. The citations are worth reading.

In August each year we celebrate the life of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan, who was held at Auschwitz and died on August 14th in 1941 when he took the place of another who was condemned to death. Kolbe acts on the hope expressed by the image in Ezekiel today, he follows Christ’s request that we refrain from judging and condemning, and he pardons those who enslave and murder their fellow countrymen. Kolbe knew – and we know – that God promises rebirth, new life, reunion and new life to each of us.

I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

Ezekiel uses a story of desiccated bones and broken pieces of wood to prophesy our future.

I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

Let us think of all that troubles and divides us, and hand it over to God.

I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

Let us think of all that breaks us and brings harm, and hand our anger over to God.

I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

Let us think of all that pains us and is sorrowful, and hand the sadness over to God.

I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

Oh my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the Lord. I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord. Amen.

Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Evening.” MAGNIFICAT. 14.8 (2010). Print.

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August 6, 2025

dry bones, God keeps promises, hope, James 2:12-13, Maximilian Kolbe, Psalm 86:11-17
Nehemiah 11: Re-Peopling
Nehemiah 11: Re-Peopling

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

James Tissot: Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod

Adapted from an Advent Favorite written on December 13, 2010.

The list we read today is similar to the one we find in 1 Chronicles 9 with a number of differences; still it relates, and perhaps magnifies, the struggle we find when we attempt to recover after catastrophe – just as the Israelites re-peopled Jerusalem after exile. It shows the people in a mode of compliance following their re-commitment to the covenant, much like a recalcitrant child who becomes manageable, and even docile, after a disturbing break with parents. We humans seem incapable of having much memory when it comes to adhering to our promises; yet God remains always faithful. And God always keeps promises. There would be no need to repopulate Jerusalem if the people had adhered to their agreement with God in the first place; yet here we are with the story of a people who turn and return.

In today’s reading, we realize that there would be no need to renegotiate details or to remember who belonged to which tribe if the Israelites had remained faithful. There would be no need to redeem land, reclaim property and rebuild walls if they had lived their promise rather than pretend. Still the returnees struggle to keep balance, and to remember the details of land distribution as originally promised with God. They tussle with one another, trying to be open and honest.

Here we see a people taking meticulous care with names, positions, professions and locations. They are intent on regaining what they have lost; yet, is it possible to restore all that is gone? The answer lies with Jesus who allows us to be present to him no matter our circumstances. Jesus always redeems. Jesus always allows us to return. Jesus always calls us to transformation. In today’s reflection in THE MAGNIFICAT ADVENT COMPANION by Nancy Valko, she closes with this thought: It is when we truly open our minds and our hearts that we learn Jesus never stops telling us what we need to hear. The people of Israel had stopped listening to and for God, and we see the consequence. They lose all they have, and are taken into exile. Upon their return, they renew their vows but, sadly, we know the rest of the story. Shortly after the death of Christ they lose even the little we see them gain in today’s Noontime. And so we consider . . .

God is always speaking. Do we always listen?

Jesus is always healing. Do we always care?

The Spirit is always abiding. Do we always feel the presence of God?

When we were growing up and might complain that “we got nothing out of going to church,” one of my parents would usually reply, “And how much did you take with you when you went?” A good question. And it is one we will want to ask ourselves as we consider Christ’s gift, his offer to turn and return, his call to re-people the empty places in our lives, his invitation to celebrate his coming.

Valko, Nancy. MAGNIFICAT ADVENT COMPANION. Print.

Image from: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/13389
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October 2, 2024

1 Chronicles 9, exile, God keeps promises, return to God
Matthew 28:8-15: Fearful Yet Overjoyed
Matthew 28:8-15: Fearful Yet Overjoyed

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

William-Adolphe Bouguereau: Holy Women at the Tomb

In this Eastertide, we have spent time with the Gospels of the Easter Octave, the eight days comprising the celebration of Easter. We heard Matthew’s account of the discovery of the empty tomb. Today we focus on a few details that bring this story alive. First, we choose a translation that speaks to us most clearly, and then we reflect. Today’s verses are from the USCCB site. (This link also contains an audio version.) We may find other versions by using the scripture link and drop-down menus.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed . . .

Who among us has not felt this clash of emotions at cataclysmic times in our lives? We are full of joyful anticipation, and at the same time a sense of foreboding. Newness and change confront us, offering both hope and anxiety. Jesus has died, is lying in the tomb and yet his body is not there. Matthew records other details that we do well to spend time with today.

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Who among us does not need these reassuring words when we find ourselves in dark days? Everyone we have trusted in the past has fallen away in this new present. Every sturdy stone we use to cross the river of the unknown has disappeared. Jesus seems to be present to us, yet is he? Why does he ask us to meet him in Galilee? Why does he not repair all that wounds us here and now? Can we continue to believe all of his promises if we are not physically with him? Matthew gives us another detail to ponder as we reflect on the future that lies ahead.

“And if this [bribe] gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

Mikołaj Haberschrack: The Three Marys at the Tomb

Who among us has not come up against deceit among families, friends and colleagues? Trust seems a rare quality. Truth is warping into alternative realities. Honesty is now self-serving and the common good suffers. Generosity gives way to narcissism. Fidelity is fleeting. Hope is inane. Love insincere. And yet . . .

As we consider the accounting that Matthew gives us of Easter morning at the tomb, we now have another newness we had not anticipated, a newness born out of joyful apprehension, a newness rising from the ashes of old fears and doubts, a newness promised by the one who keeps all promises.

Today we spend time with Matthew’s story of the women at the tomb, and all that followed in the confusing chaos of suspicion threaded through with deep trust and abiding love. As we read this account today, let us see if we are able to move beyond our fears for the world, with the joyful hope of these women.

For an interesting look at the identity of the women at the tomb, visit: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2015/how-many-women-visited-the-tomb-of-jesus/

Images from: http://www.lovettfineart.com/pages/c41_1.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Marys
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April 23, 2024

God keeps promises, Mary Magdalene, Mary of James, newness, promises, women at the tomb
Haggai 2: Promise of Immediate Blessing
Haggai 2: Promise of Immediate Blessing

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Perhaps we believe that we ought to postpone grace and blessings, that we ought to wait for the reward of our hard work for the day we move from this world to the next; but this thinking forgets that the kingdom is here, the kingdom is now. And it forgets that we are called to witness to the kingdom each day, to experience its joy and to spread its good news. Our problem is that it is so difficult to see the kingdom through the smoke screen of life. The confusion of un-kept vows and broken people obscures our view of God’s plan for the world; but God’s promise is with us just as are the stars that scatter across the sky. We cannot see these heavenly bodies in the fierce light of the sun but still they are there, guiding us when night is the darkest.

One moment yet, a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake the nations, and all the treasures of all the nations will come in, and I will fill this house with glory.

What will happen when the shaking begins? Where will we be? Where will we and our loved ones tumble? Will we still able to hear the voice of God?

Haggai and Zechariah speak to the tired remnant, calling them to rebuild the fallen city of hope. They look upon ruin and dream of what might be. When we listen to these prophets, we have the choice to follow the admonition to build or to lapse into a self-serving life. Our action – or our inaction – determines our ability to hear The Word when spoken.

And I will set you as a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

Life is tumultuous and the only words of clarity that come to us come from the Creator. All else is illusion and obfuscation.

I will shake the heavens and the earth; I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms, destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.

God overthrows power and comforts the powerless. God rebukes those who take what they want and saves the broken-hearted. God chooses the damaged and wounded, the betrayed and the abandoned and he heals them . . . for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

God pledges to fulfill promises, and this kingdom of hope and promise is now. Amid the cacophony and the haze, we must keep our ear tuned to the Voice which can be trusted. We must keep our eye on the One sent to lead us from the confusion. We must rely on the Spirit that dwells within . . . for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

Image from: https://dailydosesofgodsword.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/holding-on-to-gods-promises-by-natalie-williams/

From a reflection written on May 28, 2008.
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June 14, 2023

God keeps promises, remnant, the kingdom, the voice
Lamentations: In the Darkness
Lamentations: In the Darkness

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Keeping each of you in prayer while I am away from electronics. Holding you in prayer at noon each day.

We gather our worn flesh and our broken bones. We take one last look around us at the weariness, poverty and darkness in which we find ourselves . . . and we prepare for restoration.

Just when we believe that we escape all that terrifies us, we learn again that life holds no guarantee. Just when we believe that we escape our worries and anxieties, we learn again that eternal life is a promise on which we can rely.

When we use the scripture link and commentary to explore this book, we discover that there is no guarantee that we will not suffer; but there is a guarantee that the light of God’s love will overcome the darkness to bring us new life.
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July 15, 2017

God keeps promises, God’s love, God’s love and promise, light in the darkness
Romans 9: Children of the Promise – Part II
Romans 9: Children of the Promise – Part II

Monday, March 27, 2017

Adapted from a reflection written on June 3, 2010.

Controversy, rumors, secrecy. In our public and private lives, gossip and partisanship divide us to stir up chaos and confusion. Paul examines the story of Exodus to open our hearts to the divisions of our age.

Conspiracy, collusion, deceit. In our public and private lives, complicity and trickery fog our vision and obstruct our hearing. Paul presents a view of Jesus’ world so that we might draw parallels with our own times.

Paul reminds us of how God uses the harshness of Pharaoh to show his power and compassion for the people he has selected to be his own. He tells us that we must engage God in conversation, even to the point of argument: You will say to me then . . . “who indeed are you, a human being, to talk back to God?” (19-20) Paul tells us that God has infinite patience and mercy to use as he shepherds humans toward the truth; and he can choose his followers from among the Jews as well as the Gentile nations. Citing the prophet Hosea, Paul repeats that God has the power, and the prerogative, to do as God likes. He gives thanks that God is a good and gracious being who loves creation dearly; and he reminds us that we best find our true selves and we best fulfill God’s hope in us when we stumble over the obstacles in our way. Our troubles and sorrows bring us closer to God. Each time we hurdle over an obstacle, we open ourselves to divinity. Each time we admit that our views might be less narrow, we offer our hearts to God for conversion.

Paul tells us today that it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendents (9:8). Our birth and heritage do not guarantee us a place with God, nor do our traditions and customs make us holy; rather it is those who respond to God’s call and act according to God’s plan who find themselves in union with God . . . and this can be anyone, even the least expected.

Hosea tells us and Paul re-states: Those who were not my people I will call my people, and her who was not beloved I will call beloved (9:25) This is the promise we are given, and God will always fulfill his promises for he is faithful.

We can take this lesson and apply it to the relationships in which we find ourselves. When a loved one knows a truth but still turns to darkness, we ask God to intervene with patience. When one we hold dear refuses to see what everyone else sees, we ask God to act in kindness. And when our world is out of focus and upside down, we ask God to transform evil into goodness for this is God’s promise, this is God’s assurance, this is God’s guarantee . . . that the faithful are rewarded . . . the repentant are transformed . . . and the rejected cornerstones will form strong foundations for the promised new life.

Let us give thanks that we are the children of this promise.
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March 27, 2017

deceit, God keeps promises, Hosea, Pharaoh, secrets

Tag: God keeps promises

Ezekiel 37: Deliverance and Reunion

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Nehemiah 11: Re-Peopling

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Matthew 28:8-15: Fearful Yet Overjoyed

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Haggai 2: Promise of Immediate Blessing

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Lamentations: In the Darkness

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Romans 9: Children of the Promise – Part II

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