Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope
By Melanie Rigney
But Ruth said (to Naomi), “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)
The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord raises up those who were bowed down; the Lord loves the just. (Psalms 146:8)
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Piety
God, my Father, may I love You in all things and above all things. May I reach the joy which You have prepared for me in Heaven. Nothing is good that is against Your Will, and all that is good comes from Your Hand. Place in my heart a desire to please You and fill my mind with thoughts of Your Love, so that I may grow in Your Wisdom and enjoy Your Peace. (Author unknown; prayer found at www.Catholiconline.org.)
Study
Consider the case of Ruth. She’s lost her husband and her brother-in-law. Her mother-in-law, Ruth, is preparing to leave Moab and return to Judah since she’s heard the famine there is over and tells her daughters-in-law to stay with their people. After they all sob, Orpah kisses the old woman and leaves. Ruth stays. Naomi counsels Ruth to go with Orpah. And Ruth, in arguably one of the most beautiful passages in the Old Testament, says no to Naomi.
Perhaps Naomi truly wanted to go by herself to be among her own people. The Bible doesn’t tell us she leaped for joy about Ruth’s insistence on accompanying her. Or perhaps Naomi was trying to be kind in pushing away Orpah and Ruth, reasoning that their chances for happiness were better in Moab. Whatever her motivation, it appears the idea of separation was difficult for all of them.
And perhaps Ruth was hesitant about insisting on going with Naomi to a new land. Or perhaps she was totally certain of her decision. Or perhaps God gave her a nudge to put the old woman before herself.
Not surprisingly, Ruth’s “no” works out well for both women; in Bethlehem, Ruth marries Boaz and gives birth to Obed, who becomes the father of Jesse and grandfather of David.
Ruth’s no is also a yes: to the living God, who centuries later will send His Son through this lineage to share that loving the Lord and each other are the most important of all the laws.
And what happened to Orpah? We don’t know. We can surmise that she remarried. We can hope that in another situation, she turned her face away from paganism and toward God. Quite possibly, as she walked away she had sorrow in her heart, but wasn’t brave enough to argue with her mother-in-law. Or perhaps the idea of moving away from everything she knew made Naomi’s “stay” easy to obey.
Loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds isn’t a one-way dialogue with us giving praise and thanks. No, this relationship is truly bi-directional. And in the listening, we learn how to say yes to loving others and ourselves, even if the word that needs to come out of our mouths are no. No, I won’t give up on you. No, I don’t hate you. No, I won’t leave you.
Action
Listen carefully to your family, friends, and coworkers this week. Who is trying to push you away, even though your presence is needed? Ask God for the courage to say no.
