God's Solicitations and Invitations

O, the goodness of our God, revealed to us in today's Scriptures, Gen. 23-1-4, 19; 24: 1-8, 62-67 and Mt. 9: 9-13.  The first reading speaks of Abraham's loss of his wife Sarah, his arrangements for a burial place  for her in the land of Canaan, and his efforts to assure that a wife is found among his own kinsman (he is not a Canaanite) for his son Isaac, according to the oath God made with him.  One of Abraham's servants goes in search of a wife for Isaac among Abraham's kinsmen and both Isaac and Rebecca are looking for each other when the servant returns go Canaan.

God is no less solicitous for our well-being, from womb to tomb!  Just as Isaac and Rebecca, a kin-person of Isaac's, find each other, so, too, I believe, does each of us find the right persons to accompany us in our lives, either as spouses, friends, co-workers, or members of a religious community and/or priesthood.  God's will is established forever for  each one of us and, if as with  Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Rebecca, we are searching for that will, we will truly find it and be blessed.

In the Gospel, Jesus finds Matthew at his "customs post" collecting taxes and and says to him: "Follow me!" Matthew follows Jesus and Jesus dines with him in his house...."  Where were you when Jesus called you to your vocation in life? How often do you invite Jesus to dine with you,  to share your home, to share your family and friends?

If not now, when?

Chaos, Woe and Darkness: Invitations to be Creative or to Accept Help

In today's first reading, Isaiah 45: 6b-8, 18, 21b-25, Isaiah makes the statement that God forms "the light" and creates "the darkness", that God makes "well-being" and creates "woe."  My response to the Lord was: "Lord, I have a difficult time believing that darkness and woe (the woes of illness, of war, of violence, and so on) come from You. The Lord's response may sound something like this:

Dorothy Ann (or your name), chaos, woe, and darkness are all part of life, as is order, blessing/joy, and light.  Chaos, woe and darkness are not such for Me. They are opportunities, challenges, and obstacles which, overcome, lead to life anew.  They are opportunities that call for your creativity, that invite you to collaborate with others.  Nothing is really awful or a failure but are temporary blockages to something more profound like discovering My help, My strength within you and others to make things better or to right wrongs.  Your depleted energy, for example, which indicates that your brain is healing, is a blessing that teaches you to respect an injured part of your body and to be attentive to need, your own and others.  Human need, weakness--yours or others--is a time when I, your God, rain down strength and healing from My storehouse of gifts.  It is also when I inspire you to offer help or, if  you withhold what you could do, to realize your stinginess and sinfulness.

Christian Calling: Contrast to Secular Invitations

In today’s first reading, 1 Cor 6:1-11, Paul is challenging us concerning the choices we make when in serious conflict with our “brothers and sisters”?  He is asking why we have recourse to a secular legal system without seeking out judges among ourselves who adhere to the values of the Gospels, to the commandments and church law, to persons endowed with the wisdom of the Spirit, faithful to the Lord, living God-centered lives?  Do we go to the Lord and seek His counsel concerning “everyday matters” before seeking secular advice? When having recourse to others, do we first look at the background of such a person.   “Can it be that there is not one among you [servants of the Lord] wise enough to be able to settle a case between brothers [and sisters]?”

Why is it that we are following the secular legal system that promotes gay marriages, abortion on demand, wife swapping, co-habiting, cheating on one’s neighbor, engaging in slander against our opponents, judging and condemning others, and so on, according to the standards of the world?  “Do not be deceived,” Paul says to us; “neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the Kingdom of God. That is what some of you used to be,” Paul reminds the Corinthians; “but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God.”

Let us, too, remember our background. We too have been washed in the blood of Christ. We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit and we are justified in the name of Jesus, our Savior.  We are not unbelievers. We are not outside the fold. We are members of the one sheepfold shepherded by Jesus Himself. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27), not the voice of a secular society. Or do we?