Do you believe that God is with you?
When, in Luke’s Gospel, just after his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, he knows who he is, and is open to the Father’s direction. Fully human, yet filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus enters the desert – a place of threat and danger – without sustenance of any kind, eating nothing during those days; all he has is absolute trust in the Father. Jesus surrenders all to the will of God from the moment he steps out of the Jordan, knowing that the Father is with him at every moment. Jesus has no doubts as the devil tempts him time and time again; he refuses to choose Satan over his Father’s will, and eschews human power, embracing only the power of love during his ordeal. God the Father is his refuge and fortress (Psalm 91).
In writing to the Romans, St. Paul quotes the Hebrew Scripture to remind them of God’s constant presence: The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. The Romans have but to open to that presence, accepting God’s Word, Jesus, with faith in God’s power to save them and forgive them and bring his power to bear upon their lives. No one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame, Paul adds. We may embarrass ourselves and experience shame in the moment, but if we have faith and believe in the power of God’s Word in our life, that shame is insignificant. If the word is in our mouth and heart – the word of faith – then we have but to activiate it, to participate in it, putting our faith and trust in eternity. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
And salvation surely is an occasion for rejoicing. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses encourages the people to celebrate with ritual, giving voice to their gratitude as they remember that God cared for them throughout their long journey in the desert, ultimately leading them to salvation: He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. God preserved the people of Israel as a people; in the desert, a wild and unpredictable place, they were utterly dependent on God, who heard their cry. After forty years of their wandering, God preserved them as a people, and for this, they give thanks, setting the firstfruits of the land before the Lord.
Our Lenten journey is a time for us to listen to God, to be led by God, that we might discover more profoundly, as the fully human Jesus did, who God made us to be. God is a real presence who opens us to eternity; Satan is a false presence who has the potential to close us off from eternity. Will we choose eternity? And how will we celebrate the salvation that is ours?
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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