+ The readings today seem to have nothing to do with each other, but it
is possible to show an important connection between them. The first reading is
the striking revelation that Elijah learns that God is found most clearly,
loudly, and boldly in the tiny whispering sound that can only be heard in the
dead silence of contemplation of his Always-Presence deep in our heart and mind
and soul. He is not to be found in the showy, flashy, glitzy, glamoury anything
at all.
Those who roar in quoting
scripture and lording it over everything and everyone – the mighty winded ones
– those who cause earthquakes by the depth charges and grenades of prejudiced
judgmental war cries, those who fire up fake-news in torrents by sheer
stupidity and blatant ignorance – are not the bearers of anything constructive,
productive, or humanly helpful. No! what comes from the inner resources of the
heart is what gently guides, forms, molds and shapes in line with God’s holy
will for a soon to come new heavens and earth!
And so the gospel passage can
be related or complementary in that it tells us the it is the intention of the
heart that determines sin, sexual sin, relationship sin, family sin,
pornographic sin, chauvinist sin, political sin and the like. We need to “tear
out and throw away” any and all parts of us psychologically, and emotionally
that frame us as guilty conspirators in tearing down the kingdom of God – and
we need to replace them with limbs, and appendages that actually go out and
self-sacrificially give form and life to that kingdom to all those God places
in our path each day.
Let’s go where God would have
us go this day; let’s do what God would have us do, let’s sacrifice like God
himself manifested by sending his very own Son to be murdered so that we could
be free, so that we could have peace, so that we could have abundance of life,
both here and hereafter!
My friends, this time is now,
the outside world is unravelling at an unparalleled pace – just watch an
objective news station – read an objective newspaper – listen to objective new
commentaries and documentaries.
God the Father’s patience,
though everlasting, is not meant to be ongoing with us in this dimension: Come,
Lord Jesus, put an end to our foolishness, and inaugurate the great reward for
faithfulness in the face of hopelessness!
Amen.
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