A Penitent Blogger
Wonder and joy
In some respects, a relationship between God and human beings is something quite natural. As St. Augustine said: “For you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
Indeed, some people take it for granted that God has a relationship with us. After all, they might ask, why not?
But if you fully and carefully consider the reality, the reasons “why not” are overwhelming.
After all, we are finite beings with finite minds: scarcely able to figure out what we are going to do a year or a decade from now, let alone understand Infinity and Eternity.
Moreover, God is perfectly happy within himself: omnipotent, he needs nothing from anyone or anything, let alone a relationship with such insignificant and clueless creatures such as ourselves.
These are some of the facts underlying Elizabeth’s famous exclamation in today’s Gospel (Luke 1:39-56):
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Elizabeth, even having experienced miracles and having heard her husband’s account of seeing the Archangel Gabriel, is nonetheless struck with wonder that “the mother of my Lord should come to (her)” - that God is present and at work in her life, in the life of her family and indeed all of God’s people.
You and I need to recapture this kind of wonder: to be amazed yet again that the God of Infinite Power and Eternal wisdom freely and lovingly chooses to have a relationship with us - US!!!
Once we have recaptured this graced feeling of wonder, then joy will leap within us, as it did for Elizabeth and even for her unborn son John: joy that springs naturally from true wonder and the joy from God’s side of the relationship, as described in one of the two first readings provided for today’s feast (Zephaniah: 3:14-18a):
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you....
May we always be open to the wonder and the joy of God by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Indeed, some people take it for granted that God has a relationship with us. After all, they might ask, why not?
But if you fully and carefully consider the reality, the reasons “why not” are overwhelming.
After all, we are finite beings with finite minds: scarcely able to figure out what we are going to do a year or a decade from now, let alone understand Infinity and Eternity.
Moreover, God is perfectly happy within himself: omnipotent, he needs nothing from anyone or anything, let alone a relationship with such insignificant and clueless creatures such as ourselves.
These are some of the facts underlying Elizabeth’s famous exclamation in today’s Gospel (Luke 1:39-56):
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Elizabeth, even having experienced miracles and having heard her husband’s account of seeing the Archangel Gabriel, is nonetheless struck with wonder that “the mother of my Lord should come to (her)” - that God is present and at work in her life, in the life of her family and indeed all of God’s people.
You and I need to recapture this kind of wonder: to be amazed yet again that the God of Infinite Power and Eternal wisdom freely and lovingly chooses to have a relationship with us - US!!!
Once we have recaptured this graced feeling of wonder, then joy will leap within us, as it did for Elizabeth and even for her unborn son John: joy that springs naturally from true wonder and the joy from God’s side of the relationship, as described in one of the two first readings provided for today’s feast (Zephaniah: 3:14-18a):
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you....
May we always be open to the wonder and the joy of God by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
posted by Penitens | 12:19 PM
<< Home