Show Your Wondrous Mercies, Lord October 2

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4)

Show your wondrous mercies O savior of those who flee from their foes to refuge at your right hand. (Psalm 17:7)

Piety

Show me your wondrous mercies, Oh Lord, as I go through my day. May I recognize you in each moment, humdrum, happy or even sorrowful. You are the bedrock of my life; you are the bedrock of Life itself. Help me support myself with you, find my refuge and my strength with you and offer you to others.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/100206.shtml

When a child falls down and hurts herself, what does she do? When a child witnesses something frightening – out on the street or under the bed, what does she do? She cries, calling out for mother or father. Perhaps she buries her head in her mother’s side, hiding from the fright. Perhaps she reaches up, begging for her dad to pick her up in safety and comfort.

Job does too. He cries, physically collapsing on the ground, calling for solace from God. He is like the little child whom Jesus calls out of the crowd. An anonymous child symbolizing the vulnerability, trust and simplicity which Jesus explains is the character of those “great” in the eyes of God.

Jesus could have used himself as the model. But to our limited sight, a small child is a better image. He lived within and for his Father, speaking to Him often, seeking Him in silence, seeing God reflected in the faith of those who asked him for healing. He lived among and enjoyed friends but he remained unencumbered: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8:21) In the worst of times, Jesus cried out to his Father "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (Luke 22:42). “If you are willing…” God hears our sadness, anger, bafflement in the face of tragedy, suffering, and desolation. And Jesus walks with us because he has walked the path of human sorrow before us.

God is source of everything we have. Our identity, our physical bodies and health, our families, our possessions are ours only temporarily. What is eternal? The refuge, the heart of God. If it is the heart of God we seek then even the sufferings of Job will be survivable. If we cling to possessions, suffering will remain dreadful rather than sanctified.

Action

Children are so willing and able to forgive and forget. Could that be part of what Christ wants of us? This week at home we received a chillingly unfunny joke about Muslims by e-mail. Today, take a moment to pray for those who hate us – and those who dislike you in particular. Also, pray for those who forward such hate-inspiring messages. May their hearts be softened. Finally, make the commitment to stop forwarding hurtful jokes, diatribes or untrue gossip about people whether they be of ethnic differences, political rivalries, and racial differences.

DeColores!

Beth DeCristofaro