Thursday, July 03, 2008 – Malachi – Newness Through Endurance
We visited with this book just before my departure for Spain and on that day we reflected on the newness that arrives when we endure. We thought about the newness of the message which Malachi brought to the Jewish people, and the newness of the message which is the Christ, and the newness of living a New Testament life. We reflected on how this newness can only happen when we submit to God’s will, when we wear the mantel of faith, act in hope . . . and live in love. Genuine newness can only occur when we have learned how to suffer well . . . and when we submit to the touch of God’s healing hand.
Today is the feast of Saint Thomas, known as the Doubter because of his desire to see the Resurrected Jesus. In today’s Gospel reading, we witness his spiritual healing when he touches the wounds of the Christ. We, like Thomas, doubt that miracles can happen. We, like Thomas, want to see proof. We, like Thomas, may receive the gift of being healed by the suffering of one who loves us more dearly than all else. We, like Thomas when he realizes that Jesus has truly come back from the grave, must call out, My Lord and my God! We must recognize and submit to the one who calls us to service. We must endure. For this is when we experience genuine newness. It is when we feel abiding, everlasting and intimate love with the Creator. It is when we understand who we are and what we are doing.
From the June 18th Noontime: The Book of Malachi is the last we read before we turn to The New Testament. We have been told all that we need to know about building kingdom, about intimate and honest union. All that is left . . . is for us to act.
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