Sirach 2:1-6: Serving the Lord
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
We are small children, eager to please our doting parent. We put our trust in the Lord and expect that our lives will run smoothly. Struggles will be brief and bearable, we say to ourselves. This is easy if I am in God’s corner and God is in mine.
Jesus ben Sirach has words for us: My child, if you are going to serve the Lord, be prepared for times when you will be put to the test.
We are ready, we tell ourselves. We are eager to follow.
Be sincere and determined.
We will persevere. We will remain faithful.
Keep calm when trouble comes.
We will live in hope, actively waiting for God’s promise.
Stay with the Lord; never abandon God, and you will be prosperous at the end of your days.
We wonder if God really understands our circumstances.
Accept whatever happens to you. Even if you suffer humiliation, be patient.
We wonder if we will endure even with the assurance of God’s love.
Gold is tested by fire, and human character is tested in the furnace of humiliation.
We struggle to live meekly as Jesus lives. We yearn for the justice we know God wants. We live in the hope that the Spirit will not abandon or deceive us.
Trust the Lord, and God will help you. Walk straight in God’s ways, and put your hope in God.
We continue to live in The Way Christ shows us. In patience and humility, in fidelity and hope, persevering and waiting in love.
Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Washing_the_Disciples%27_Feet_(Tintoretto)
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