Letting no obstacle

The passing of Terri Schiavo last week marked the end of a long struggle for many who sought to save her life.

In that struggle, many were frustrated that some people in positions of responsibility did not seem to do enough to save this woman’s life. Now, in the wake of her death, some have become exceedingly bitter about people, institutions, and even a nation that let such a thing happen.

This bitter frustration finds resonance in the exasperated cry of the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading (from Isaiah 7):

Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?

Watch out, we think, the wrath of God is about to come down in a BIG way.

Yet what comes next is not fire and brimstone, but a small, still voice.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us!"

People may let us down, but God will never let us down. The death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ reaffirms that God's signs of hope and signs of his loving presence will continue even when everything seems tarnished, useless, and evil.

We therefore must never let God down.

We should follow the example of the Holy Father who spent every ounce of himself in the service of God and humanity, letting no obstacle turn him from that task.

By God's grace, we must not let ourselves be crippled by bitterness, frustration, and cynicism, but we must go forward as signs and instruments of his love and his truth even if the world seems dark.

“...for nothing will be impossible for God.”