+Our readings this Sunday
again are timely, and easily adaptable to the situation we find ourselves in as
Americans. The
first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah tells us of a kernel of truth
that is far, wide, deep and irreplaceable: have
a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my
integrity will be manifest.
As summer begins to wind down
now, we turn our thoughts to our goal and the means that we are going to use to
get there. The goal is “the holy mountain of God,” or in other words, heaven.
In this passage, the Lord is telling us that for those who think and act justly, with integrity will have no reason
to fear on that day of passage, that day of Judgment: that is surely coming –
sooner or later!
On that day God’s justice and salvation, God’s integrity
will be manifest: and it is a fair justice, a generous salvation, and integrity
supreme: and God will reward those who
offer holocausts and sacrifices: he will hear their prayers and will rejoice that they gather in his house
of prayer!
It seems that many of our
governmental leaders are tuned into a different kind of justice, a strange kind
of integrity, and a quite baffling kind of vision of what is actually going on
in the country and in the world. You might say that it is “an alternative kind
of reality” – and they are doing their best to draw us into their fantasy
world.
We must resist: or our prayers
will not be heard, and we will have no recourse then, to fight this final
battle to the end.
What St. Paul tells the Romans
and us in the second reading is important for us to hear now: God never takes back his gifts or revokes
his choice. Even disobedience does not entirely separate us from his
providence and care. And so even the pagans – who have also been saved by
Christ – can have access to his resurrected life: if they begin to turn away
from their “idols of silver and gold” and to the Person of the Risen Lord: who
offers peace, reconciliation, truth, justice and life!
So very many these days are
turning to God, and crying out to him literally, asking him to do something
about the apparently hopeless situation in D.C. – and today, he in many ways
remains silent: silent like he was with the woman he compared to a house-dog. But it was her persistence,
and calm response that won his helping hand. He waited purposely for her to
persist, and offer her petition more than once. He waits for us to do the same.
He has every intention of
granting our requests: but our faith in him, must be accompanied by humble, listening/obedient
trust: and a willingness to keep on doing the right thing until our prayers are
indeed answered.
May Jesus say of us: YOU HAVE GREAT FAITH! Let your wish be
granted as you have made it!
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