WORD 2day: Friday, 18th week in Ordinary time
August 7, 2020: Nahum 2:1-3, 3:1-3, 6,7; Matthew 16: 24-28
Today we hear the hope giving words of Nahum. But just a few days earlier we heard from Jeremiah a sharp criticism of the self proclaimed prophet Hananiah, saying the prophecies of prosperity can be accepted as such only after the things prophesied come to pass. However the words of Hananiah were soon proved to be mere search for popular it and general acceptance!
Nahum's promise of the restoration of God's people comes combined with a call to be prepared, alert and girded. Jesus takes that a step ahead to say: it takes a ready acceptance of the daily cross and a loving preparedness to walk in the ways of the Lord, to experience the true "blessedness" from God. Blessings from the Lord or in a more formal theological term, Grace from God - is not something that we can ever deserve. It is not as if, we become good and the God gives grace; we behave ourselves and God rewards us with grace! No...that is a very childish way of looking at things and a very naive concept of God. Unfortunately, majority of us hold on to that.
Grace is basically God's divine presence with us! That defines all... will that ever be revoked from us. Never. God loves us and God is present all the time with us. Therefore, the Grace of God is there, is there always, is there just for our taking. But the problem begins when we realise, we are not there to take it. We have made choices, we have used our powers, we have held on to things that are so opposed to God, that we have moved ourselves far far away from God, from God's presence, from God's grace! Now speak of the blessings that we clamour for...
Prosperity, fame, popularity, joy, sense of fulfilment, peace and a sense of being loved... these are of course signs of God's blessings...but they cannot be our focus in our daily life, instructs Jesus. What we need to do is strive to stay with God, strive to live acceptable in the eyes of God, strive to remain in the presence of God, in the grace of God, and all the rest will follow. What matters thus is..the true "blessedness" in the sight of God!