WORD 2day: Saturday, 25th week in Ordinary time
September 25,2021: Zechariah 2:5-9,14-15; Luke 9: 43-45
Beginning with last Sunday the Gospel has been dwelling on the theme of Jesus announcing his suffering. However, it is not yet the close of his ministry, if we carefully watch the context of the passages reflected upon. What then is Jesus proposing to teach?
Life with the Lord is not a career, it is not a life securing strategy. It could be infact, on the contrary, a challenging self giving. When we make a choice for God, we are taking a risky step of giving away our traditional concepts of security, social upward mobility, self satisfaction and so on... but beyond all these insufficiencies there is the only Reality that can give meaning and fulfillment: God and God alone!
I shall be a wall of fire for my people, says the Lord, an unassailable protection with an undying love. What a great guarantee we have in this promise of the Lord. But let us beware, it does not happen automatically. It is not that we are in that protection by default. We need to positively and by choice submit ourselves to that protection, it involves a definitive life style and deliberate daily choices. When we whole heartedly submit to the Lord, the magic happens - the wall of fire surrounds us, our divine shepherd guards us.
It is this underlying conviction based on the almighty presence of the ever living God that gives joy to a God's child, happiness beyond all struggles, calmness beyond all anxieties, loveliness beyond all brokenness. God and God alone, can fill our beings truly!