Is your way of life conducive to relationship with God?
The man who kneels before Jesus in Mark's Gospel doesn't
seem to be sure. He has observed all the commandments Jesus puts
before him from his youth, but when
Jesus challenges him to sell what he has
and give to the poor, the man goes away sad,
downcast, not sure he can meet the challenge Jesus has placed before him. Although the man believes there is something he can do to effect salvation, to earn
eternal life, in actuality the man has to allow salvation to be
effected in him, opening himself to God, to the love of God, by dealing with
his personal obstacles and barriers. It
is that love that will bring all good things, and difficulties, too -- but for
God, all things are possible. It is an open heart, first and foremost, that
helps us to live a life conducive to relationship with God.
The Book of Wisdom offers additional advice on the path we
should be trying to follow toward right relationship with God. I
prayed, and prudence was given me:
prayer is our first access to God; it is the path to prudence, which
helps us to discern, to make sound choices.
For nothing is as precious as the gift of wisdom, but here again, wisdom
is an ongoing choice, not a static state of being. Give us
wisdom of heart, the psalmist prays in Psalm 90, a quality that will
engender kindness, joy, and gladness. It is again a request for the ability to
discern, to see as God sees, to choose as God would have us choose. Would that we could see God as clearly as God
sees us: No creature is concealed from him, the Letter to the Hebrews
states, and God's Word can penetrate
our soul and spirit, our heart and
thoughts, our very joints and marrow.
What do we see, what can we discern, when we examine our
life in depth, as God is able to do? And
how much is God a part of that life? We
are challenged to live a life conducive to relationship, with God and with
other. Do the choices we make support
that path?
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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