Wake Up; Call upon God

In today's first reading, Jonah 1: 1-2: 2, 11, the Lord said to Jonah:  "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; their wickedness has come up before me."   The wickedness in today's world also comes up before God.  Is it possible, as in the case of Jonah who fled to Tarshish "away from the Lord,"  that many people today are also fleeing from God, doing whatever possible to escape following God's will to address the corruption, the deception, the wickedness of sin-laden humankind?  Is it possible that the turbulence in any part of the world--natural or man-made "storms" --are the result of our having abandoned God?   Do we need someone, as did Jonah, to confront us with the question: "What are you doing asleep? Rise up, call upon your God. Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not perish"  in our wickedness!

With the psalmist, in today's responsorial psalm, we pray:

Out of [our] distress [we call] to the Lord, 
and he [answers us]; 
From the midst of the nether world [of corruption, deception, and violation of law and of people's rights  [we cry] out for help,
and you [hear our voices].for you cast [us] into the deep [of sin-infested behaviors], into the heart of the sea [of an abundance of lies and abuses of power],
and the flood [envelops us];
All your breakers and your billows
[pass over us].
Then I said, 'I am banished from your sight!
...When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the Lord; 
[Our] prayer reached you...'"

Lord, God, have mercy upon us who have strayed from the path of righteousness, truth and justice in the search for wealth or an abundance of material things and pleasures of all kinds, especially pleasure at the expense of the innocent.  Forgive us, Lord, for wanting things our way instead of Your way and the way Jesus modeled for us!

Listening to the Voice of Christ

Today's first reading, Jeremiah 7: 23-28, opens with: "Thus says the Lord: This is what I commanded my people. Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper."

Those words are not only spoken to Jeremiah but also to each of us.  We hear many voices in our heads.  How do we discern which one is God's voice? We only do that through the Holy Spirit's give of discernment, a gift for which we need to ask.  We know that God is Truth. We also know when we are acting on truth, unless we have hardened our hearts to the truth by repeatedly being deceitful and ignoring the voice of truth and following directions that are definitely against the truth that we hear in the depth of our being, in our heart where truth abounds.

We follow the truth when we follow Jesus, who is Truth.  Jesus says: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10: 27).  Do you know Jesus? Are you developing a relationship with Jesus? Do you take time to reflect upon the Scriptures, especially the Gospels, to get to know the Lord intimately? Do you take time each day to pray, to meditate, to sit quietly in the Lord's presence, letting the Lord gaze upon you in love and you upon Him in love?  That is how to train yourself, or better yet, let the Lord transform you into His disciple, a disciple of the Truth.

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Choosing the way of truth

In today’s first reading, Acts 6: 8-15, Stephen is   “accosted…, seized…, and brought before the Sanhedrin.”  He is falsely accused, as was Jesus. How often this scenario is repeated in today’s world: in our boardrooms, our courtrooms, our workplaces, our schools, our homes; through the social media, by our politicians, our governments, and trusted leaders throughout the world and in all segments of our society.  We do it personally, as well, when we bring accusations against another that we are unable to substantiate, avoiding direct communication with that person. We also do it when we repeat information about another which we are not sure is true.

The psalm of today’s liturgy challenges us to another way of living our faith: 

                Though princes meet and talk against me [or against another],

                Your servant meditates on your statues.

                Yes, your decrees are my delight;

                They are my counselors….

                Remove from me the way of falsehood,

                And favor me with your law.

The way of truth I have chosen;

I have set your ordinances before me. (Ps 119)

How different it is for me when I choose to “remove falsehood” from my way of thinking about and/or relating to people and instead  “favor” the truth and/or refrain from joining the “Synagogue of Freedman” who orchestrate false evidence against the “Stevens” or “Sally’s” in my life or even against myself.  I might ask myself: am I Steven, proclaiming the good news and believing in Jesus or am I Steven’s detractors, busy about things that  do not improve life.