I will meditate on your precepts and regard your ways.
Seeking God. Treasuring God’s word. Rejoicing in God’s testimonies. Meditating on God’s precepts. Delighting in God’s statutes.
We are made to search, to listen, to think, to act, to celebrate.
God says: When you concentrate on my “laws” you founder and this is because you bring your focus and energy to a black and white world that is not mine. When you listen to me you bloom. When you drink in my Word you bear fruit. When you rejoice in me you find your eternal self.
We too often live life as a predictable checklist rather than a loving adventure with God.
Today we reflect on the second lesson in Psalm 119. It is God’s simple request that we rely on God alone. Tomorrow, Gimel.
I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds . . . (Psalm 77:12)
Grace us this week with your presence, O Lord, that we may focus our hopes and our work in you. Amen.
We sometimes wander aimlessly in search of happiness or peace . . . when all the while we do not notice that God has gifted us with a beautiful Eden in which to live.
We sometimes are so intent on completing tasks and chores that we miss the beauty surrounding us . . . when all the while we rush past opportunities to build relationships that will bring us joy.
We sometimes see all windows and doors as closed or obstructed pathways . . . when all the while Christ waits on the other side for us to knock and seek.
Let us spend some time with Psalm 145 today . . . and let us learn to trust in God alone.
The Lord sets captives free . . . let us ask for our own freedom from fear.
The Lord gives sight to the blind . . . let us ask to be healed of our own blindness.
The Lord is good to all . . . let us put away our childish envy and see that God has enough for all.
The Lord is just in all his ways . . . let us strive to act in justice each day.
The Lord is gracious and merciful . . . let us forgive all those who have harmed us.
The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love . . . let us put aside all anger and anxiety.
The Lord is trustworthy in every word . . . let us treat all whom we meet with openness and honesty.
The Lord is worthy of high praise . . . let us praise God joyfully and without ceasing.
The Lord is near to all those who call upon him in truth . . . Come Lord Jesus, come!
When we trust in God we find new strength to open old doors. When we trust in God we find transformation. When we trust in God we are restored in newness.
Mustard SeedIf we can find the time this evening or this weekend, we will want to leaf through the first portions of the 13th chapter of Matthew and reflect. The Gospel writer is careful to record Christ’s words; he preserves them for us so many centuries after they were first spoken.
An essay in THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE makes three points about this portion of Matthew’s Jesus Story. First, we must seek meaning in these verses and when we do, we will be rewarded with the wisdom and grace of Spirit’s presence. Second, we must always be confident in God’s promise and providence brought to us by Jesus. And third, leaders of all kinds will have to struggle with the gray world of often opposing forces. The past and present will be linked only when we seek and trust God.
“Parables are the trademark of Jesus . . . [T]hese pointed stories both reveal and veil the mystery of the Kingdom. Unless the listener is willing to probe beneath the surface of the parables, the true meaning of Jesus’ words will escape them . . . [T]rue followers of Jesus are to put aside everything and be fully committed to the compelling beauty of God’s reign.
“Many of the parables in Matthew’s Gospel have obvious moral messages . . . The parable of the weeds sown among the wheat explanation makes the point that the church, like the world itself, is a mix of good and evil. The disciples should not be discouraged by this but be confident that God’s grace will triumph at the end of time and evil will be punished . . .
“The conclusion of the parable discourse seems almost to be a signature of the Gospel writer . . . Bridging past and present in an open and respectful manner is one the greatest challenges of religious leadership”. (Senior RG 397)
And so we wait. We search. We question. We doubt. We struggle. We turn to and rely on God. We enter willingly into both the mystery and the revelation . . . for the more we know the more we question.
The Parable Discourse is a lesson on how to meet difficulty. It is a graced interchange and dialog with our God. And it is an open door that invites us to enter the world of Jesus. May we be confident enough and bold enough to accept this invitation.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.RG 397. Print.
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