Thursday, January 26, 2017

Sunday Gospel Reflection, January 29, 2017: Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth...

Do you need God? 

   When the prophet Zephaniah exhorts the people to seek justice, seek humility, he is offering them a path to finding God.  For, in order to seek justice, we must first make room for God in our lives, embracing humility; justice flows from our willingness to be in right relationship with God, to be a people humble and lowly who take refuge in the Lord, recognizing that it is only through God that any human action is possible.  And, after all, Psalm 146 reminds us that it is precisely the humble – the oppressed, the hungry, captives, the blind, those who were bowed down – who receive help from the Lord, and who can then, in turn, bring life-giving justice to others, God’s justice, born of right relationship.

   In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus elaborates on the promise of Psalm 146, beginning with a blessing for the poor in spirit and the meek, those who know they need God, who seek not control but a measure of God’s love in their lives.  From beginning to end, the Beatitudes invite all of us to live in a way that demonstrates that we do need God, for God is necessary to the fullness of life; without God, after all, what depth of meaning can we find in human existence?  In the epistle, the Corinthians seem to have forgotten this lesson; Paul reminds them that God chose the foolish of the world – the humble of heart, the poor in spirit – to shame the wise, for God can only work through humble hearts open to God’s action in their lives.  In that kingdom of inversion, the only kingdom in which true justice is possible, we seek the Lord, struggling to hold him, rather than worldly distractions, at the center of our lives.  Isn’t this why we come to church each week, to recognize our need for God, the fact that God has a place in our everyday existence?  Yes, we need God:  we need God’s presence; we need God’s love.  To walk the path of justice can only mean a self-emptying humility that recognizes this imperative need, and opens to it.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle

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