All the Ways that I Command

March 11, 2010

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

This rather is what I commanded them: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper. Jeremiah 7:23

But if it is by the finger of God that (I) drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Luke 11:20-22

Piety

Come, Holy Spirit, replace the tension within us [or me] with a holy relaxation.

Replace the turbulence within us with a sacred calm.

Replace the anxiety with us with a quiet confidence.

Replace the fear within us with a strong faith.

Replace the bitterness within us with the sweetness of grace.

Replace the darkness within us with a gentle light.

Replace the coldness with us with a loving warmth.

Replace the night within us with your light.

Straighten our crookedness.

Fill our emptiness.

Dull the edge of our pride.

Sharpen the edge of our humility.

Light the fires of our love.

Quench the flames of our lust.

Let us see ourselves as You see us.

That we may see You as You have promised, and be fortunate according to Your word: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." (Mt 5:8)

Study

The God of the Hebrew Bible has an image problem. Often His name is invoked in battle. He is asked to deliver violence upon the enemies of Israel. These facts – at least in my mind – make God seem to be a harsh task master and overseer. However, the more we read the books of the Old Testament, the more God’s true nature is separated from the image that humanity has projected upon him – and perhaps that true nature is never more clear than in today’s first reading.

This rather is what I commanded them: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper. Jeremiah 7:23

God is seeking our companionship on the journey. He provides neither harsh commandments nor retribution. He does not hold us fully accountable for our transgressions. Even in the face of these, the Lord still wants to walk with us on our journey.

The hearts which are hardened are OURS. It is because we – like our brother Adam – turned out back on God that we became estranged.

John the Baptist told us that “one more powerful than I” will be coming after. Now, Jesus publicly reveals that he is the strong man who will bind the forces of evil and free us from our sins.

Yet, God is there, sitting at the window like the father awaiting the return of his Prodigal Son, ready to run to us and embrace us when we return to Him.

Action

It is our time to recognize the Lord in the present moment. When we welcome Him into our circle of friends, he will help us conquer the sins that follow us daily and that come between each other and between us and the Lord. In the end, it is not God who changes, but we who are changed.