Changes for the better

It is not so much fear of the Lord that should guide us, but the desire for beauty, goodness, truth, and joy. There is no comparison between the loveliness of the way of the Lord and the unsatisfying lure of lesser goods.  Consider Psalm 84 for your

Prayer for the Day

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, Mighty God!

My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God!

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young ---

Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God!

Blessed are they who dwell in your house! Continually they praise you.

Blessed are the people whose strength you are!  They go from strength to strength.

I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."

Reflection

Exodus is full of stories of God intervening in the lives of people in a very real way.  These events seem supernatural and miraculous at times, but, in reality, these experiences may have been no different from the way God intervenes in our lives today.  When Moses came down from the mountain (Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38), "he did not know that the skin of his face was radiant."  Aaron and all the Israelites witnessed the change in his appearance.  Moses had conversed with God and was changed perceptibly.

Perhaps this was no more miraculous than the change that comes over most people when they meet God "face to face" in some religious experience or even in daily prayer.

When I reflect on my own life over the years, I am aware of greater patience and the fact that the things that used to get to me no longer bother me.  I even find that greater attentiveness to God in the ordinary situations of daily life inspires a greater trust in Him, and I have less anxiety.  When prayer changes to more listening to God, as Moses did, I can "hear" more subtle "messages" that change my behavior over time.  I have had co-workers remark on the changes (for the better) in my attitude and interactions with them especially after spending an hour in “conversation” with Jesus in the Adoration chapel.

All who "meet God face to face" in prayer, on retreat, at a special liturgy, in a traumatic event, or even on a mountain top, viewing a breathtaking panorama will change if we let the experience move us.  Perhaps the radiance will remain hidden, but the inner glow will eventually seep through, manifested in a peaceful countenance or in a more centered manner.  A real 'God experience' motivates a change of heart.  A new heart is a treasure worth one giving all.