God's Inclusivity

In today's first reading, Acts 11: 1-18, while St. Peter is at prayer, he sees a vision of "something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered from the sky by its four corners..." "It came to me," Peter says.  In this sheet were "the four-legged animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky."  Three times, Peter hears a voice that said to him: "Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat." Peter refuses! No way will he slaughter unclean animals, wild beasts, birds or reptiles.  He then hears a voice that says to him:  "What God has made clean, you are not to call profane."

Who or what do I label profane or unclean, not worthy to be spoken or listened to or invited to my table? Is that person a Democrat? a Republican? a Trump or a Clinton? An Obama? A black person? a white person? a Korean? a Phillipino? a Russian? an Englishman/woman? Anyone from a culture I have been taught to despise?  Anything that I have learnt to shun?

God delights in clemency

In today’s first reading, Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20, our God is described as One “who removes guilt,” “pardons sins,” “delights…in clemency,” has “compassion on us,” treads our guilt underfoot, “casts into the depths of the sea all our sins,” and shows His “faithfulness” and “grace.”

Wow, what a God in contrast to the gods of the nations that surrounded Israel—gods who were anything but merciful, compassionate and forgiving.  Over repeated transgressions of the covenant, God remains faithful to the Chosen People, forming them into a “close-knit family,” who can, then, open its doors freely to neighbors and outsiders,” (Stuhlmueller, Carroll, O.P., Biblical Meditations for Ordinary Time—Weeks 10-22, Paulist Press, NY, 1984, p. 124) without losing its identify as God’s people and being prepared for Jesus’ message of inclusiveness; namely that all people  “who do the Father’s will are brother and sister and mother to Me” (Mt. 12: 50).

How firmly am I rooted in my faith and my faith community?  How open am I to those whose beliefs  differ from mine? How inclusive am I of others who, like myself, hopefully, are doing the will of the Father, when to what God is calling them differs from to what God is calling me?  Do I, like God, view people through the lens of compassion, pardon, clemency and ways to make God’s compassion a reality?  Do I view the world through the lens  of God’s faithfulness and grace? Or is my view narrowed by prejudice, exclusivity, shame and guilt, the letter of the law, no matter what?