Friday, February 27, 2009
Love and Responsibility (Is 58:1-9)
"They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, Like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the law of their God;" If you abandon God's Law. If you do what is unjust. You will have a hard time finding God in your life. If you do find Him you will have a hard time listening to Him or even hearing Him. If you can in fact hear Him and are listening you will have a hard time doing what He asks of you. Why? Because you love yourself more than you love Him. You are selfish and self righteous. You think you know better than God and His Bride the Church. You believe that your judgments are sound and right so you ignore the deeper truths that the Holy Spirit has revealed to the Church. You are unjust and yet so blind that you believe you are acting justly. All under the guise that says "I am a good person. I love God." This is the way of the fool, and many are following it; just like the people of Israel to whom Isaiah was sent. Jesus never said in the Gospel Be Good, instead he said Be Holy as your Father in Heaven is Holy. Holiness requires Obedience just as Love requires Responsibility. We cannot abandon the teaching of the Church and feel justified. We cannot live according to our own morality and spirituality and pretend we are just, that we are doing what is right. In other words acting as if God approves of all that we do. During Lent we must have the courage to be humble and turn away from selfishness and self righteousness and come before the Lord seeking to do His will not our own. We are called to acknowledge His Love in giving us His Beloved Son to be our Savior; our responsibility is to be obedient, to turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. Then we can be holy for we have accepted that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. Acceptance of this humble truth then will allow the Father to raise us up as He raised His Son Jesus our Savior on the Third Day.
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2 comments:
Good job Father. You really made me think. How do I do I know that I'm doing Gods will not my own. Please reply.
COD,
Are you praying the Rosary? Are you fasting? Are you generous in your life? Do you give generously to the collection at Mass? Are you going to Confession. Do you read from scripture? Are you following the moral teaching Church? Do you go to Adoration? Do you assist at Mass more than once a week? These are in no particular order, and I cannot tell you how often each should be done. However we should have some regularity in our spiritual life. You ask a huge question. My response is totally inadequate however practicing the above will aid in your discernment of God's Will and also help you to be less selfish in your life. One could be disciplined and regular in prayer and Sacraments but may not be prudent or may not be generous. Discerning and doing God's will requires both. God is Good, His Mercy endures forever. Abandon yourself to His Loving Mercy.
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