Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time




I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
And if he does wrong,
I will correct him with the rod of men
and with human chastisements;
but I will not withdraw my favor from him
as I withdrew it from your predecessor Saul,
whom I removed from my presence.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”


The history of God’s people is a history of covenants. The first was the friendship between Abraham and God, initially sealed with God’s word as Abraham gazed in astonished wonder, and then confirmed with the sacrifice of Isaac. The second was given on Mount Sinai when the Ten Commandments spelled out the terms of our friendship with God. This covenant flowed organically from the first as it bound the descendants of Abraham to God. Joshua demanded that the people renew the covenant as they entered the Promised Land.

In today’s first reading we hear the story of God’s covenant with David. This was a new, unexpected development; like the others, an unearned grace. When David heard Nathan’s words he was astonished:
The king went in and sat before the LORD and said,
“Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,
that you have brought me to this point?

The covenant with David revealed something new, the promise of forgiveness. “If (David’s heir) does wrong, I will correct him…. But I will not withdraw my favor from him.”
Forgiveness is, by nature, mysterious. The Catholic who is very familiar with the Sacrament of Penance might take it for granted, which is always a mistake.

I heard an AA speaker talk of the many times he has asked his wife for forgiveness. He suggested to his audience that we say, “I am sorry. Please forgive me. Will you forgive me?”
The power to forgive, of course, is in the other's hands. That’s the mysterious part. To be forgiven I must ask for it and wait for it and hope it will be given. I have no control of that.

Someone might argue, “If I apologize you should forgive me! You have to forgive me!”
No, I don’t… but I’ll think about it.  

Forgiveness cannot be owed to someone. It is a grace, freely given, unearned and undeserved. I cannot force God or anyone else to forgive me. I might as well wave my arms and expect to fly.
In this signal moment of Salvation History, the Lord promises King David, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.” It will endure precisely because the Lord will “correct him with the rod of men and with human chastisements.”

There will be times when, given the promise of chastisement, we would prefer not to be forgiven. Some might flee from it.  

But grace always calls us back because God will not withdraw his favor. We will be grateful for the rebuke and the punishment – especially when we see that Jesus has endured both for our sake.

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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.

Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.

I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.

You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.