Repenting, Believing Anew By Beth DeCristofaro
God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. (Genesis 9:8-10)
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21)
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:12-15)
Piety
Lord
God,
you who breathed the Spirit of life within me.
Draw out of me the light and life you created.
Help me to find my way back to you.
Help me to use my life to reflect your glory
and to serve others
as your son Jesus did.
(Praying Lent Closing Prayer)[i]
Study
Pope Francis reminds us that "The Lord is — let us not forget — the Lord of compassion, of nearness, of tenderness: three words never to be forgotten. Because this is the Lord's style: compassion, nearness, tenderness."[ii] In these readings, we see both God's fidelity and power. Narrative stories such as Noah speak to humanity's place in the world. They can provide descriptive ways to picture our relationship to God as we struggle with sin, the human condition and misfortune. The water of the flood isolated Noah and family – with lots of animals! – from sin. Their relationship with God is altered and renewed.
How can we relate to a God who can fashion a destructive flood, life-threatening virus, humans who hold so close to their preferred beliefs that they are ready to kill for them? Jesus' compassion, nearness, tenderness. In the Gospel narrative, he was readied through Baptism and, buoyed by the Spirit he prevailed over demons. His public ministry began after his time in the desert overcoming evil through his very being. Our new relationship with God came alive through Jesus Cross Resurrection. Our relationship continues in the Spirit as we journey through Lent, building the Kingdom with each movement of compassion and tenderness, especially for those who most need it. Our tools are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Action
The poet James Metcalf said, "Conscience is a walkie-talkie set by which God speaks to us." Sometimes our conscience buffets us like Noah's waves – we see everything as wrong, not enough, or inappropriately our fault. Sometimes our conscience is so desert dry we cannot drink from it because we have ignored it for far too long and it parches our awareness. By our Baptism, we are stirred to listen deeper, hunger more, live more profoundly in God, in the tender company of infinitely compassionate, near and tender Jesus.
Is my conscience reliable as a loving beacon as I travel closer to God this Lent? Is there a message that I have been ignoring? That I need to hear?
Illustration: https://nilefm.com/life/article/6995/sinai-s-bedouins-call-on-egyptians-the-world-to-reconnect-with-nature-after-covid-19
No comments:
Post a Comment