The Lord our Justice

Today we begin the season of Advent, a time of waiting for the coming of the Lord.  On Christmas day we will be celebrating the incarnation, the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, as one of us. God stoops down to us to lift us up to God.

In today's first reading, Jeremiah 33: 14-16, the Lord says to us:  "The days are coming...when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land." How badly we need this Savior as individuals, as a nation, as church, as family, as municipalities, as countries, as a society--worldwide and otherwise!  When the Savior comes, there Lord tells us, "Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: 'The Lord our justice.'" We shall be safe and feel secure in Christ Jesus, our justice, our salvation, no other way and by no other means! You and I cannot save ourselves. Humankind cannot save itself. Our disobedience to our God needs one equal to God to reconcile us to God. Jesus, by being obedient to God the Father into death is our justice!  And for that reason, with the psalmist in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 25,we beg the Lord as follows:

Your ways, O Lord, make know to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me, 
for you are God my Savior,
and for you I wait all the day. 

Good and upright is the Lord;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear [reverence] him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.

May you and I be among humble, allowing the Lord to lead us to justice and teach us His way.  Only then will we be secure!

God, our Protector, our Rock of Salvation

In today's first reading, James 1: 12-18, St.James clearly informs us that God does not lead us into temptation. Our desires do. "Each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death."  That is why in today's Entrance Antiphon we pray:  "Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me.  For you are my rock, my stronghold!  Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name. (Cf. Ps. 31 (30): 3-4). In the responsorial psalm of today's liturgy, Psalm 94, we proclaim "blessed" the person whom God instructs: "Blessed the man [woman] whom you instruct, O Lord, whom by your law you teach, giving him [her] rest from evil days.  For the Lord will not cast off his people, nor abandon his inheritance; but judgment shall again be with justice and all the  upright of heart shall follow it. When I say, 'My foot is slipping,' your mercy O Lord, sustains me; when cares abound with  me, your comfort gladdens my soul."

O, the greatness, the love, the care, the compassion of our God!  God be praised, thanked, glorified, honored and worshipped by you and me every day of our lives.

The Importance of God's Instruction

Today’s first reading, 1 Samuel 16: 1-13, opens with the Lord’s question to Samuel: “How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel?” God then goes on and says to Samuel:  “Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.  I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

It is easy to live in the past, to not let go, to resist moving on, especially when we are asked to trust completely on what God is asking of us.  When we have lost something/someone upon whom we trusted and whom we have grown to love, it is very difficult to be sent elsewhere.  God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to choose a replacement for Saul.  Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel.  All of them were impressive men. Surely, one of them was the right choice.  But God said “No." "Do not judge from...appearance[s] or from...lofty stature[s]”.  An eighth son, just entering puberty, was attending the flock. Samuel instructs Jesse to send for him.  When David arrived, the Lord said: “Anoint him; he is the one.”

David was the most unlikely of Jesse’s sons to be chosen as the next king of Israel and was not the one Samuel would have anointed if left to his personal preferences.  Many times you and I find ourselves in the same plight as Samuel, that is, our choices are not the choice God would make. At times we are foolish enough to make our own choices without consulting the Lord. At other times, we have more sense and seek the Spirit’s enlightenment, the Spirit’s wisdom. Appearances can blind us to the point that we look no deeper.  How important it is for us to step back and ask: Is there anyone else I should consider? Is there another option that needs to be examined?

Help me, Lord, look beyond externals, to not get tripped up by appearances.  I pray for the grace to step back, look deeper, and, above all, to ask for your guidance in the choices I make each day. And may I remember that the least likely of choices may be the right one! When I say to myself "Oh, it can't be," the truth may be "Oh, yes, it can!"