The Bigger Picture

Happy Thursday, dear reader!! It is going to be a warm, albeit, wet Thursday here, but I'll take rain over snow any day!! It has been a long and cold winter and I'm more than ready for a glorious Spring!

Our first reading today takes us to the book of Exodus. The Israelites have been on a journey to find a place of peace. Moses had gone to the mount to speak with God. The people had become worried that he hasn't come back. So, they turn to Aaron to do something. They are looking for someone or something to worship. They are in need of a new leader. They do not have the patience to wait for Moses to return. This was not a good choice. When God gets wind of what the people are doing, He tells Moses that he best hurry back and put these people straight, "Go down at once to your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved." (Ex 32:7, NAB). 

Worshipping a golden calf may not seem so immoral to us today. We've all seen a lot worse. But back in the time of Moses, God saw this a real affront. This was sinful and scandalous behavior. Here He was, trying to liberate these people, finding them a place of peace where they could live out their days, and as soon as their leader disappears for a bit, they go all haywire. God is so insensed that He tells Moses to leave Him alone so He can think about how He wants to teach these people a lesson, "Let Me alone, then, that My wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation." (Ex 32:10, NAB). But Moses wants to give these people a second chance. God decides to listen to Moses and spares them. However, Moses is now armed with the Ten Commandments. Now there are rules, given straight from God, on how they should conduct themselves from here on out.

We all make mistakes. We all wander off the path that God has chosen for us. We all want to fit in with the rest of society. That's what Moses tries to tell God. These were His people. God chose them to settle a new land where they would be free to worship Him without fear of condemnation. They've been wandering in this desert, they are in need of direction, of hope. And God realized this. He gave His rules for the people to follow so that they wouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture. 

Which brings us to John's Gospel. It's a bit confusing as it refers to giving witness to God, needing people to confirm things, who is fit to be the witnesses. So, in Father Bill's video, he asks us a simple question to ponder. What has brought you here? Why now? Is God trying to lead you out of your own desert? What does that desert look like? Where are you trying to go and why? 

As you try and answer those questions, go back and reread todays passages. How does your life mimic them? Have you asked the Lord to spare you from your sins? Search your heart today. Find the places where you need some encouragment. Pray on that. Meditate on it. Then ask God to guide you to where you need to be. And, as always, dear reader.. be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXEwxkRUj0M

Mercy and Forgiveness

Good afternoon friends! Happy Tuesday! Our readings today emphasise the goodness of God's mercy and forgiveness, but also reminds us that our faith in the Lord MUST be unconditional. We can't say that we follow Christ, that we believe in Christ, except...._______ (insert excuse here).  

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego* refused to worship the statue created by King Nebuchadnezzar, it was because they held on to their belief in God. They would not abandon Him to save their own selves. Upon hearing this refusal, the king had them thrown into a white hot furnace. The three men prayed and exhalted God. They knew that they had done things in their lives that didn't exactly live up to what God expected. They knew they were sinners (as we all are sinners). They felt that this was God's judgement on them. However, they also understood that it lay in God's hands to forgive them, as He had promised "For Your name's sake, do not deliver us up forever, or make void Your covenant." (Dn 3:34, NAB). What these men did is what we should do every time we pray. We are asking for God's mercy on our souls. We understand that there will be some form of punishment for what we did, but we freely give ourselves to be washed clean in the blood of Christ. 

In that same vane, in Matthew, we hear about forgiveness and mercy, but we look at our own ability to forgive. Peter asks Jesus how many times he is expected to forgive others. Although Jesus answers with "seventy-seven times", He doesn't mean that after you have forgiven the seventy-seventh time, you're off the hook. It's meant to illustrate that we are to forgive always. 

The story of the king who showed mercy to his servant by cancelling his debts is a great illustration of this. There was an unspoken expectation that just as the king cancelled the debt of his servant, the servant was to show that same mercy to others. When he found out that the servant punished those who owed him, the king felt that this man had taken advantage of his kindness. He demanded that this man needed to be punished for what he had done (which is only fitting, really).

At the end of the story, Jesus reminds Peter "So will My Heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." (Mt 18:35, NAB). The point here is that God's absolution is already bestowed upon us. However, if we refuse to forgive others as God has forgiven us, that mercy will be withdrawn upon our final judgement. We will be held accountable and justly punished.

It's not easy to forgive others who have hurt us. I know I still hold much resentment for past hurts. We all do. We wouldn't be human, really, if we didn't. We are supposed to show the same mercy to others that God shows to us. But, sometimes, this can be so difficult to do. That hurt just runs too deep and it's been there for too long. Still, at some point it needs to be let go of. If you are having a hard time with it, pray to God to help you to release it. In time, it will become easier to just let it go. Let Go and Let God.

I found this prayer and thought I would share it with all of you. Ask God to help you.

Be blessed my friends. And, as always..... be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://youtu.be/6CVpZxp6b6Q

A great song by Matthew West about forgiveness: 

https://youtu.be/FMn0QNdiuGE

*Abednego.. King Nebuchadnezzar had changed his name from Azariah (which means "Yahweh has helped.") to Abednego.  The boys' names were changed as a way of encouraging them to forget the God and traditions of their homeland and conform to the ways and gods of Babylon.