How would this moment be different if you sensed the eyes of
God upon you?
Our readings this Sunday challenge us not only to realize
that the eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear him – and that means you, if you are in awe of God – but also to
turn our own faces to God, to meet God’s eyes in faith and confidence.
Psalm 33 sets the stage: See,
the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, upon those who hope for his
kindness, To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. Israel has a special relationship with God,
and the people’s awe (fear of the Lord)
indicates a strong awareness of that relationship. God watches out for them, but this must be a
two-way street: God is waiting for us to
make eye contact, too, thereby demonstrating our faith in his promise, a
promise in which we have put our hope,
the salvation of the just presented
in the Book of Wisdom. Do we have the sure knowledge of our fathers? Are we making eye contact with God?
Jesus likewise reiterates God’s promise for all in our
Gospel from Luke, calling upon the whole church to look to the future, so
that we can live a life of faith here, now, in the present, moving forward with
confidence, meeting God’s eyes. Your Father is pleased to give you the
kingdom, he says, in the present tense.
That kingdom is ours if we are prepared, if we can detach ourselves from
material goods so that we can contribute to the building of the kingdom
ourselves, as stewards of God’s will, in
faith, as stressed in the Letter to the Hebrews. And from this place of faith, we can move
forward with confidence, investing ourselves entirely in
the God who has given us hope, looking to God, meeting God’s eyes, knowing that
we are secure in God’s loving kindness.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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