In today’s first reading the Lord shares the following
promise with us through the prophet Malachi: “Lo,” the Lord says, “I am
sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come
to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom
you desire. Yes, he is coming,…but who will endure the day of his coming? And
who can stand when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the
fuller’s lye….He…will purify the sons Levi….”
That messenger is Jesus!
Suddenly, without fanfare, quietly, the Lord will appear in each of our
lives. God may visit us in the beauty of
creation, in the sun and moon and stars; in the warmth of spring or the heat of
summer and fall, in the smile of a child or the unconditional love of a pet. God may also appear in the call from a friend
or a family member, in a letter or an email that brings good news. God may also come, Malachi tells us, “like the
refiner’s fires, or like the fuller’s lye…He will purify” us. That kinds of visitation may be in the form
of an earthquake or in another violent way. God then comes to us hidden in the
storm that could easily shatter our confidence, weaken our knees, bring a
tremble to our voices. God’s visitation
may be in news of a serious illness, our own or that of a loved one. Those kinds of visitations reinforce our
dependence upon God, our need of God.
Acknowledging such, we are purified of pride and arrogance.
Am I looking for God, as God searches for me? In those situations that frighten me, God is
there as anchor, as rock, as Savior, Comforter, and Confidante. “Come
to Me,” Jesus says to us in Matthew 11: 28, “all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls.”
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