And the Apostles said in reply: We must obey God rather than men . . .
Do we see Jesus’ Apostles as only the twelve who followed him? Do we believe that Jesus’ followers were men alone? Can we stretch beyond any narrowness to believe that we number among Jesus’ Apostles today? Are we willing to stand during difficult times to say . . . we must obey God rather than men . . .?
When we read these verses in their varying translations, how do they speak to us of Jesus’ remarkable gift of resurrection? What do they reveal to us about God’s generous promises? And why do they call us – or perhaps not call us – to become one with the Spirit that wants to heal a troubled world? When we use the scripture link to explore this story of the Apostles who carry out miracles in Jesus’ name well after his death, we find new life and new energy to carry out the Gospel in all we say and do. When we allow God’s goodness to settle into our bones, we find new courage and new patience to smile in the face of adversity.
A video presentation of Acts 5:17-42 may be of interest. While we may not be in accord with all the speaker tells us, we are invited to reflect on this story of the importance of obeying God. Click on the image above or go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MiSr5yx9nA
James Tissot: Simon the Cyrenian Compelled to Carry the Cross with Jesus
There is an inexorable force which drives our existence. Some of us identify its scientific origin, others of us focus on its spiritual origin. Some of believe that God drives this science; others of us believe that synchronicity and evolution direct our existence. But no matter the origin of our thinking, and no matter our circumstances, we all see the predictable: those of us born into human flesh will come to a very human end. This is an inevitability we cannot avoid. This is the greatest gift ever offered. This is a promise none will want to doubt. Ezekiel’s audience turned away from his prophecy because they could not bear to hear the truth which they saw as terrible but which was, indeed, wonderful. Today when we hear the good news that we are loved beyond measure and that all our worries and woes can be put into God’s hands we will want to choose to trust God and the inevitability of God’s love?
Yesterday we reflected on the certainty of Ezekiel’s prophecy and how history tells us that his predictions held true. We also made a connection between the unavoidability of this prophecy and the persistent nature of God’s promises to us, the unrelenting presence of God’s love for us as shown by the birth of the Christ. The ancient oracle foreshadows the promise kept.
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying out, Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. (Galatians 4:4-7)
Whether we want to admit this fact or not, we are in intimate relationship with God. This is something we cannot change.
Whether we feel God’s presence or we do not, we are in constant union with God. This is a concept we cannot reject.
Whether we feel God’s love for us or we do not, we are the center of God’s focus at all times. This is the reality we cannot rebuff.
God is so good, so generous and so overpowering that we cannot avoid closeness with him. God is so patient, so forgiving and so compassionate that he waits with us as we struggle against the fears and anxieties of the world. God is so caring, so tender, and so loving that he allows us to behave as we like as he continues to offer this gift of self to us. God has known us from our origin and God knows our path. And God waits. God persists. God loves. Inevitably.
Jerusalem fell and God’s people were taken into exile. This was predicted. This came to pass. This was inevitable. This we now know.
Jesus is among us to deliver us from all that pains us. This was predicted. This has come to pass. This too, is inevitable. This too, we can know.
As we enter the last week before Palm Sunday and Holy Week, let us consider God’s inevitable gift and promise.
As we anticipate the miracle of Easter resurrection, let us rejoice and be glad.
And as we draw nearer to the Good News of the Easter Story, let us act as if we believe in these good tidings. Let us give thanks for this wondrous and profound gift of God’s inevitable love.
An adapted re-posting of a reflection written on December 25, 2011.
Baruch 2: The Road to Destruction or Redemption – Part I
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
The apocryphal book of Baruch tells us how to live in exile; and in particular Chapter 2 gives us an important, two-fold message. It reminds us that God alwaysfulfills promises, and it also gives us an outline of how we might make our way back to the covenant we have chosen to abandon.
In Chapters 16 to 18 of Revelation we come upon something that reminds us of the infinite forgiveness and mercy of God. We see once again that in God all things are possible. We have understood the importance of being faithful in small ways to God. We have understood that closed, exclusive groups which stultify possibility and potential, darknesswhich hides and subsumes potential, and silencewhich conceals and enables deceit. . . will never conquer opennesswhich spawns universal communion, light which calls forth authentic life lead in integrity, and praise of Godwhich magnifies truth and joy.
In the end, God’s will of universal openness and light leads to jubilation. The dark world which opposes this truth germinates in envy and ends in destruction. And those who work so hard at building up a closed empire of selfrather than an open kingdom of all, bring about their own destruction at their own hands. We see this countless times. What is the allure of the darkness and deceit that is so tempting? It is the same siren call of Satan to Adam and Eve in Eden, You will be like gods . . .
There is something about the road to perdition that answers our human need to control. There is something about this broad highway leading to the wide gate that brings comfort to those who travel it in their closed special groups. The aching longing to be the bride who is rescued and loved by the steadfast, powerful groom is universal. Yet we insist on filling this yearning with superficial, finite relationships which ironically do not satisfy, and which ultimately destroy. We must respond to the summons of the road and choose redemption rather than perdition.
I willlead the blind by a way they do not know . . .
God says: Never doubt that I am with you.
In paths they do not know I will guide them . . .
God says: I know that anxiety and fear too often govern you.
I willmake darkness into light before them . . .
God says: Believe it or not, I love you and will not let you go astray.
Andrugged places into plains . . .
God says: What look like insurmountable obstacles are opportunities to draw close to me.
These are the things I will do . . .
God says: I always keep my promises. This trust I ask of you may at first seem foolish, but in the eternity of my wisdom it is prudent and wise.
And I will not leave them undone . . .
God says: Of this you can be certain. This is the mystery of wisdom. Trust it, and you will flourish.
Tomorrow, wisdom from Jesus.
Use the scripture link to explore this verse in other versions of the Bible. Or enter the words God’s promisesor trustinto the blog search bar and reflect on the mystery of wisdom and promises.
Click on the image above for another reflection on Isaiah 42:16.
The prophets warn, threaten, exhort, and promise us that God is always present, even though we may not recognize this presence. The OldTestament prophecies foreshadow the good news of the New Testament, and they remind us that no matter our circumstance God’s joy rescues us from sure destruction, Christ’s joy redeems us from our recklessness, and the Spirit’s joy heals us despite the gravity of our wounds. Today Nahum delivers a warning to the enemies of the faithful.
“Shortly before the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C., Nahum uttered his prophecy against the hated city. To understand the prophet’s exultant outburst of joy over the impending destruction it is necessary to recall the savage cruelty of Assyria . . . in the wake of their conquests, mounds of heads, impaled bodies, enslaved citizens, and avaricious looters testified to the ruthlessness of the Assyrians”. (Senior 1147)
Nahum 3:19: There is no healing for your wound—it is far too deep to cure. All who hear your fate will clap their hands for joy, for where can one be found who has not suffered from your cruelty?
God says: Revenge is never a source of happiness and it is – in fact – a source of continued pain. When you inflict punishment on those who oppose you that punishment comes back to haunt you. Nothing is gained. All is lost. As my servant Paul so ably reminds you, “love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth”. (1 Corinthians 13: 6) Keep this in mind when you see your enemies fall. Call on me when you feel the hand of vengeance grip you. When you hear a warning of impending doom . . . remember that I alone can mete out justice that brings new life. Explore the verses of my prophet Nahum and look for the words he uses to remind you that in your anger and fear you need only look to me . . . for I will keep my promises.
Look! On the mountains the feet of one who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, fulfill your vows,
for never again shall the wicked invade you; they are utterly cut off.(Nahum 1:15)
The prophecy of Nahum is a short one. Spend a bit of time with these verses this weekend and listen for God’s response to Nahum’s warning.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990. 1147. Print.
If this week’s Noontimes call you to search for more ways to encounter Joy or urges you to investigate the New Testament, click on the word Joy in the categories cloud in the blog’s right hand sidebar and choose a reflection, or enter those words in the blog search bar.
The Book of Psalms calls us to praise God and during this first week of Advent we will focus on the power of the psalms in a number of ways: to connect us with God as sisters and brothers in Christ, to give us a healing pathway on which to carry our lament to the Spirit, to call us together as we praise and honor the creator God, and to offer us the opportunity for our conversion.
Click on the scripture links and explore other versions of these verses. Share an idea about the surprise of joy in the dark places and times in our lives with a loved one, a neighbor or friend. And allow the surprise of joy to brighten each day as we move forward in the season of hope-filled waiting for the arrival of the Christ.
Psalm 105verse 43: So he led his chosen people out, and they sang and shouted for joy.
God replies: I am with you when you are abandoned and rejected.
Psalm 119verse 143:I am filled with trouble and anxiety, but your commandments bring me joy.
God replies: I am with you when you are disheartened and oppressed.
Psalm 126verse 5:Let those who wept as they planted their crops, gather the harvest with joy!
God replies: I am with you when you are broken-hearted and alone.
Psalm 126verse 6: Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest.
God replies: I am with you when you beaten, and abused, and ridiculed for my sake. I come to walk among you . . . and you call me Emmanuel!
Commentary tells us that the meaning of these two allegories has been lost but that scholars believe the two young cubs in the first refer to princes who were deported to Egypt and to Babylon (likely Jehoahaz and Zedekiah), and that the mother vine represents Judah. Ezekiel already knows that Jerusalem has been destroyed and perhaps he writes these two metaphors in order to convey the trauma of the event. We will never know; yet what we do know is this: Even though this prophet writes of a nation whose roots have been destroyed forever, yet he holds out hope for a new arising, for a rebirth, for restoration, for another coming. In 37:24-28 he tells us: My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all; they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees. They shall live on the land which I gave to my servant Jacob . . . I will make them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
If we choose, we might write our own allegory, describing how and why we elect to follow this God who promises much and who never forgets his promises.
God’s dwelling has been made among us, just as he has promised.
In this season in which we anticipate the coming joy of Advent, let us celebrate his coming.
The shoot from the stalk of Jesse has come to shepherd us.
In this season of hope as we gather in the fall harvest, let us rise to walk with this God.
A covenant of peace has been made with us.
In this season of coming peace of Advent, let us share the good news of this coming and this covenant.
God’s Law of Love is written on our foreheads and on our hearts.
In the coming season of Advent love, let us share this love with others – especially those who do us harm.
We have our God, and we are God’s people.
In the coming season of Advent possibility, let us dare to be one with this God.
And may Christ’s peace and joy and love be upon us all. Amen.
For notes on Ezekiel 19 click on the image above, or visit: http://www.lorisreflections.com/god-lessons/friday-revelation-lament-israel/
A Favorite from December 12, 2009. Adapted and re-posted today.
Easter Saturday, April 18, 2020Genesis 9: The Example of Noah
Like so many stories in scripture, the tale of Noah is so familiar to us that we might easily pass over verses through which God speaks to us. Once again we are shown a figure around whom an entire saga unfolds who is at once faithful and flawed. There is always something to learn about ourselves as we read about others.
Into your power they are delivered . . . I give them all to you.
God is so generous with the gifts God creates for us – the planet and all that is on it – that we too easily take God’s bigheartedness for granted. God is generous so that we might learn to be generous as well.
I will demand an accounting . . .
Although God is lavish beyond imagining with the millions of species of animals and plants scattered about the earth, we must remember that there will be a reckoning. Each feather on each sparrow is precious – just as we are precious.
I am establishing my covenant with you . . .
God is constantly seeking union and reunion with us. God promises to protect and keep us. To guide and rescue us. For our part, we are asked to follow and abide. It ought to be easy to find serenity within the embrace of this gentle yet strong God . . . and yet we resist.
This is the sign I give you . . .
God is constantly working wonders in our lives in small and tremendous ways. God persists with the signs we request, knowing that we will be too scattered, too anxious, too angry, too bored, too self-obsessed to see them. God invites us to put away our yearning for these portents and to accept the gift of eternal life so willingly and eagerly given.
I set my bow in the heavens . . .
From childhood we are taught the greater meaning of the beautifully arching colors created by the prism of droplets in the air. Science explains the mechanics of the arc but our hearts linger with the deeper significance in the phenomenon.
When he drank some of the wine he became drunk . . .
God continues to give us examples of imperfect humans so that we might bring our own imperfections forward to lay in sacrifice on the altar of our lives. God does not ask for perfection in us – God knows us so well. God asks that we persevere. God asks that we trust. God asks that we love.
This familiar childhood story deserves more time than we usually give to it. Let us take that time today to look beyond our little horizon to see God as magnanimous protector, God as ardent lover, God as careful promise, God as loyal friend, and God as eternal truth. It is this perfect God who calls our imperfection home. It is this vigilant God who heals our aching flaws. It is this tender and devoted God who creates for us the wonders of the planet . . . and allows her creatures the marvelous freedom to choose to return to the covenant.
In this Eastertide when we experience the full force of God’s promise to each of us, let us think about returning our own imperfections to God, and let us examine the example of Noah.
He had been waiting to see him for a long time . . .
He had heard about him . . .
He had been hoping to see him perform some sign . . .
We are so eager to know Christ; we bring our small and big worries to his feet. We have heard so much about him. We are hoping that he will cure our woes and still our anxiety. We have some specific tasks for him to complete for us; we hold a short but good list of wrongs for him to right.
Herod questioned Jesus at length . . .
But Jesus gave him no answer . . .
Herod treated Jesus contemptuously and mocked him . . .
Herod and the guards clothed Jesus in resplendent garb and sent him back to Pilate . . .
We have a lot of questions for Jesus and we present our daily list of petitions faithfully; but – strangely – it seems that Jesus is not listening. There are no answered requests for us to tick off our list. We feel disappointed and even let down. We wonder if the naysayers are correct . . . perhaps there is no resurrection. Perhaps we believe in folly.
Herod decides to have Jesus flogged and released. Pilate washes his hands of the man.
We have passed the half-way mark in our Lenten journey and so we take an accounting. We have given alms. We have fasted. We have attended morning and evening prayer. We have participated in the sacrament of reconciliation. We have checked off our chores like small children pleasing our parents and still our little lists of favors, pleas and signs appear to be left unanswered. We wonder if Jesus is listening and we continue to look for a sign.
Herod was very glad to see Jesus . . .
He had been waiting to see him for a long time . . .
He had heard about him . . .
He had been hoping to see him perform some sign . . .
We arise each morning to fresh water, food and clothing for the day, transportation, information, friendships. We travel through the day experiencing little miracles all along the way, little signs of God’s love. And we somehow miss them.
Evening falls and we count our accomplishments and disappointments. We enter them into a mental balance sheet and come up with a balance. We take credit for all that goes well and we assign blame to ourselves or others for all that seems to fail. And we again miss the miracle that we have wandered through another day in the company of a God who loves us so much that we are never left alone for an instant.
Herod sits and speaks with Jesus and does not understand the miracle of the gift of God’s love. We too might speak with Jesus each day and open ourselves to the wonder of God’s care.
Herod looks for a momentous sign so that he might have full confidence in Jesus’ power to save and while he is scanning his surroundings he looks past the obvious sign that sits before him . . . the embodiment of God’s protection and promise in the person of Jesus. We too might look past the obvious today . . . or we might choose to believe.
Herod wants a sign that he already has. Let us take each small miracle as it comes to us. And let us remember that the sign of God’s love is alwayswith us. Jesus never leaves our side.
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