God Delights in Us as a Loving Parent Delights Over a Child

In today's Gospel, John 15: 1-8, Jesus says to us: "I am the true vine, and my Father the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.  You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him [her] will bear much fruit...."

In one sense we are like infants in their mother's womb and later, also, as toddlers and small children are totally dependent upon their parents for sustenance and growth.  Infants and toddlers apart from their parents will perish. So, too, will we apart from God! God guides us and provides for us as any good parents provide for their children. And nothing diminishes parents' love for their children.  No matter what we do, parents continue to love us and eagerly await our return to them when we have gone astray!   So, too, with God!

And like the owner of a vineyard, God does everything possible--pruning,  nurturing, watering, cultivating-- that we, His prized "plant," produce fruit, an abundance of fruit.  And how proud is God as He watches us bear fruit!  His love is ecstatic!

God Delights in Us: Do We Delight in God?

In the antiphon of today's liturgy we pray: "The Lord became my protector. He brought me out to a place of freedom; he saved me because he delighted in me" (cf. Ps 18 (17): 19-20). In the entrance of antiphon of tomorrows liturgy we pray: "You are merciful to all, O Lord, and despise nothing that you have made. You overlook people's sins, to bring them to repentance and  you spare them, for you are the Lord our God" (Wis 11: 24 25, 27).

WOW!  What a kind God, a God of love and compassion, a generous God.  No way do I, or you, deserve God's protection or to be brought to a place of freedom. But that is our God!  He held nothing back to free us or protect us from the snares of Satan, a fallen angel, one who lost Paradise, was thrown out of heaven by St. Michael, the Archangel, and thus works tirelessly, cunningly and deceitfully to keep us from entrance into our heavenly home!  Our God, though, is a Warrior God, a powerful God, One far more powerful than Satan.  Like a mother bear protects her cubs, so, too, does God protect His children.  God delights in us, we pray in today's entrance antiphon. He will not lose us to Satan and hopefully you and I will truly embrace this free gift of salvation and, with God, let nothing come between us and God, let nothing separate us from God, our Savior!

God's Delight in Us

In today's first reading, Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20, Micah prays as follows, asking God to reveal Himself as our Shepherd: "Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, that dwells apart in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel.  Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old; as in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs." Micah then asks: "Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, and will again  have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt."  In today's Gospel, Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32, Jesus reveals the nature of God in the parable of the Prodigal Son.  He reveals a God who "removes guilt and pardons sin," "delights in clemency", is compassionate, loving, and caring, a God who waits for our return when we go astray, when we choose a path that leads to destruction, even death of the body and the spirit.  With great delights, God receives us back into His Presence, rejoicing and celebrating our coming back to our senses and living a life of justice, love, peace, honest and right relationships with others, ourselves and our Creator God.  No one is more excited when we choose rightly by turning away from evil to do good than God, our constant companion, our Guide, who lives within us, works through us, and hovers over us with Love!

May we come to this realization and work unceasingly to become our best selves, reaching our potential to live like Jesus lived!  Our goal here on earth is to be totally transformed by grace so that our being made in the image and likeness of God is never in doubt!

God's Delight in Us

In today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 149, we make the following proclamation: "The Lord takes delight in his people."  I invite you and me to rephrase that to say: "The Lord takes delight in me."  When you are awed by the sunrise or sunset, think of God gazing at you with awe as well. When you are overcome with an intense sense of gratitude for your son or daughter or the new child that you have just brought home from the hospital following his/her birth, think of God being filled with intense gratitude for you.  Yes, God delights in you day and night!

In our darkest moments, you and I might totally disagree that God could ever "delight"  in us. We might deeply deny this possibility when we are filled with a sense of shame and guilt, when we may have just exploded in anger or made an assumption about someone and that assumption is proven totally untrue, or at moments when we may have failed to defend another person when such is being bullied or when we join a "gossip party".

However, God, I believe,  always sees us as redeemed by His Son, that is, clothed with a robe of salvation, made righteous by His Son's sufferings, death and resurrection (cf Isaiah 61: 10).  About you or anyone else,  God  says to us: "My thoughts are not your thoughts" (Is 58: 8-9).

All of God's Creation

In today’s first reading, Sirach 42: 15-25, Sirach is filled with awe at God’s creation:  “At God’s word were his works brought into being; they do his will as he has ordained for them.” As I meditated on the phrase , I thought of humankind. Of all of God’s creation, we are the ones to whom God gave freedom. We can choose to do the will of God or to follow our own will. As I grappled with the reality that I often choose my own will over God’s and then thought of the disasters in the world because of our ability to make choices contrary to God’ will, the Lord broke into my musings and said to me through His Spirit within me:

My will is that you have free will. I delight in that creation of you. Yes, I know that you choose your will over mine many times. In that, you learn to be obedient to my will. The suffering that follows your refusal to love sacrificially, to live the life of a disciple, teaches you to follow your Master. I built that dynamic within you. Grace will ultimately triumph over nature. I made it that way. Am I sad to see you, or anyone else,  choose your will over mine? Yes, but I love you unconditionally and will not take away your freedom. It is in learning to  choose  rightly that you will become truly free.  I cherish that dynamic in my creation of humankind.

Jesus, you delight in each member of Isis, in those perpetuating human trafficking, drug trafficking, slave labor, abortion and so many other corrupt practices?  I delight in every  person I created.  Each is my son/daughter. I gave each free will, as I did you. Each who chooses as Isis does or any other person making poor or sinful choices saddens me, especially if they choose to go their own way as Judas did. I don’t delight in anyone making choices that lead to perdition but I delight in the person I created, even when their potential of becoming the person I intended them to become is thwarted. So, too, when the person I intended you to become is thwarted when you choose pride over humility, selfishness over generosity, deceit over truth, prejudice over openness, nastiness over kindness, I am saddened but my love for you remains unconditional. I always delight in you. And ultimately grace will triumph over evil in you!

Merry Christmas!

This night, 2000+ years ago, the Son of God, God Himself, the Creator of the Universe, the Promised Messiah, was born of Mary in Bethlehem. The King of the Universe, the Creator of us all, is born in a stable, a shelter for cattle!   His first visitors are shepherds, a despised group of people in Jesus’ time.  Their fellow Jews are busy about many things unaware that God assumed human nature in order to transform it into a holy place where His salvation is brought to birth.  Sin, this night, is transformed into holiness in the same way as the stable was transformed into a place for a King.  Darkness gives way to an inextinguishable Light that, to this very day, continues to brighten our way.  To this very day, God looks upon our lowliness and reminds us, through the prophet Isaiah, “You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God.  No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight,’ and your land ‘Espoused. (Is 62: 4-5—First reading of the Vigil Mass for Christmas).

The symbolism of Bethlehem, of God born in a stable and visited by the lowliest of the lowly in Jesus’ culture, teaches us that nothing is too desolate  that the Lord avoids it.  Those others shun God embraces. Those considered too poor spiritually, physically or materially become the Palace of a King in whom  God delights.  

With the angels at Bethlehem, we sing: Gloria in excelsus Deo and peace to people of good will!

Merry Christmas!