Are you open to
God’s action in your life?
In the Book of Isaiah, Shebna, the master of the palace of King Hezekiah of Judah, is dressed
down by the Lord for having abused his power, believing himself to be
self-sufficient rather than dependent on God:
I will thrust you from your office,
the Lord tells him. Shebna, who was
responsible for ensuring access to the King, has failed in his duties, relying
on his own hands, and on all the privileges that have been bestowed on him by
the King, and now he will have to pay the price: Eliakim will receive the robe and sash of
Shebna: when Eliakim opens, no one shall
shut, the Lord promises. Eliakim
will be a good servant of the Lord because he recognizes his own dependence on
God, knows, as Psalm 138 states, that without God, we are nothing: I will
give thanks to you, o Lord, will all my heart, the psalmist sings, and thanks to your name. Both Eliakim and
the psalmist are open to God’s action in their life.
Matthew’s Gospel
likewise focuses on a man who will be responsible for ensuring access to
God: the apostle Peter, who recognizes
aloud that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of the living God. And so Jesus
confers upon Peter great responsibility:
I will give you the keys to the
kingdom of heaven, Jesus tells Peter.
Momentarily grounded in love, Peter is open to love, open to revelation,
and thus allows God to reveal who Jesus is, thereby creating access to God for
all who will hear him. St. Paul likewise
recognizes his own dependence on God, and his profound grounding in faith, in
his recognition of a God whose riches and
wisdom and knowledge are immeasurable.
Paul’s Letter to the Romans demonstrates that, while Paul may not
understand God, he is open to the salvation God has promised through Jesus, and
Paul seeks to ensure access to that salvation for all.
As modern-day disciples,
we too are meant to help others to have access to God. Evangelization can only happen if we are open
to God, if we recognize God’s action in our lives, and if we allow God to work
through us. We are called to be present
to others, to use the gifts the Lord has given us, and to let Christ reveal
himself through us… so that God’s action may touch their lives as well.
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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