Thursday of the Twenty Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Gal 3: 1-5; Luke 11: 5-13
Dc. Larry Brockman
Think of someone in your family who showed their love for you very much when you were growing up- your Mom or Dad; a Grandparent; or an Uncle or Aunt. Did you ever think how that person reflected the Love of God? They loved you unconditionally; it didn’t matter what you did, they still loved you. They were always there for you when you fell short or were in need.
My brother visited with me the last couple of days, And we expressed those feelings to each other about our Dad, who passed away almost 15 years ago. Dad’s whole life was dedicated to providing for our Mom and my brother and I. My brother was, and still is, kind of a Maverick. And so Dad lavished lots of attention on helping Bob through the many consequences of his wild behavior. And while he would admonish my brother, it was always done in a spirit of understanding and acceptance. My brother knew that he was loved no matter what he did. I was a little more stable, not so many wild oats to sew; but you know, I didn’t feel slighted by the extra attention that my brother got. Dad had a way of projecting that he cared equally for both of us.
And yet, as great as Dad’s love was for us; and as great as the love of your most cherished loved one was or is, for you, it doesn’t compare with the love that God has for. Yes, God loves you so much more right now than the greatest human love you have ever experienced. That’s the message of the Gospel in a nutshell- that God intensely loves and cares for each of us, and wants to be there to help us no matter how dim things seem; and no matter how inconvenient it seems.
The big question is not whether God loves us and is ready to help us; the big question is whether we are going to open up to His help. Are we going to listen to and trust his saving plan for us? That takes faith, real faith, to let go and trust in God by listening to that wee voice in the back of our heads. It is hard to do because we have to have a relationship with God first. That favorite and most loving relative you thought about. You needed a relationship with them first. God can’t help you any more than you favorite relation can help you unless you have a relationship with them. Only when you have that relationship with God will you recognize that wee voice in the back of your mind for what it is- God’s voice of truth through His Spirit.
Second, the message we get from God is sometimes hard to trust- because it seems counter intuitive. But remember- “God’s ways are not our ways.” Again, if you have a relationship with God, then you will be more inclined to trust His voice even if it seems counter intuitive. St. Paul gives some pretty heavy advice this morning to the Galatians. But it bears on the topic I am discussing when you really think about it. You see, the Galatians were tempted to trust in their own devices- their own secular law, rather than the Faith they had acquired when they embraced Christianity through the teachings of the Apostle Paul. We are tempted to reject what our Faith tells our hearts when we face every day trials and events because we think we have to embrace the norms of our current society. It’s the same thing, really, that Paul was talking about.
And so, we cave in to political correctness, including the acceptance of today’s lax moral code, pro-choice and gay marriage “rights”, and other pressures from society, even though God is trying to speak to us through our consciences. And so, I challenge each of you this morning to accept the tremendous love that God has for you. How? In the words of our antiphon this morning: Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.
Tags: God's great Love