Why does God bring
us back from exile?
When you’re
suffering, stories of the past can offer hope for the future. In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the people
in exile in Babylon look back to the story of Moses and remember that once upon
a time, God brought them out of Egypt, opening
a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters. But the people need not focus on the past, God
tells them, for God is doing something
new, transforming creation and promising the people redemption, that they might announce God’s praise.
Psalm 126 continues the story, reminding us that when the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, there was again
need for redemption: restore our fortunes, o Lord, they
pray. Only God can bring us back from the
exile to which we consign ourselves.
Likewise, in John’s
Gospel, only Jesus can restore the fortunes
of the woman caught in adultery. When
she is accused by the scribes and
Pharisees, her expectation is that she will be stoned. But, like the people
of Israel, Jesus brings her back from the exile of sin, asking only that she not sin any more. His challenge to the scribes and Pharisees is similar.
Having bent down to write on the
ground, he eventually stands and calls these men to look at their own hearts: Let the
one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone. When he rises a second time, it is the woman
whom he calls to look at her own heart.
In each case, Jesus stands to invite, each time calling his listeners to
something deeper, to an acceptance of the mercy that is theirs if only they are
open to it.
Why? Paul
tells the Corinthians that his total focus, his total reason for living, is to be taken possession of by Christ Jesus,
to recognize that fact and to proclaim it.
Everything else is so much rubbish
by comparison! What does it mean for
Christ to take possession of us? How might
that possession make our lives different than they would otherwise be? To conform
to his death is to surrender to him, to allow him to take possession of our
heart. What was his death, but a
surrender to mankind because of the depth of his love for us? Brought back from exile by his forgiveness, we
are called to the same surrender, to surrender ourselves to his love for us and
to surrender into that love for other. Brought
back from the exile of sin, such surrender is our only hope for resurrection –
let us be filled with joy!
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
No comments:
Post a Comment