After
reading passages from Exodus and the Gospel of John today, I saw that people were
looking for God in the wrong places. In Exodus,
the people turn to their human-made God in the molten calf (Exodus 32:7-14). In the Gospel, Jesus responds to people who
have refused to believe God can show up in the ways He is teaching and, in His actions (John 5:31-47). It can be easy
to dismiss the groups these messages are directed at as just not getting it ―
we’re thousands of years removed and therefore have a better grasp and don’t
make the same mistakes. But the reality
is that we are still doing the same things. We too can turn towards false gods and fail to
see how God shows up in our daily lives.
We can
create false gods out of our money, status, politics, and sometimes even our
religious beliefs. We might put our
trust in these items because it helps us feel more in control. If we get this amount of money or career,
everything will be okay. A politician or
leader believes what we believe, therefore, we believe they’re the ones who
will improve things. When we do this, we
may miss the invitations from God to grow or to see things in new ways.
Also, like
the audience Jesus speaks to, we can fail to see God right in front of us. The
situation isn’t ideal or what we would like it to be, therefore, we believe God
must be absent. Or a hard truth is
presented to us, and instead of going deeper to see what it has to teach us, we
may reject it and perhaps even diminish its source, because we can’t believe
God would condone this.
As we near
the end of the fourth week of Lent, we’re invited to continue reflecting on
those barriers that prevent us from encountering God. The hard truth is that sometimes, we're the
barriers. It’s our attitudes, our
beliefs, and our resistances that can be the primary barriers. We’re called to be a discerning people who go
deep within―sometimes to uncomfortable spaces―to distinguish what comes from
our false notions of how things should be and where the invitations to see
things anew surface.
***************************
The Highs
and Lows and Ups and Downs in the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary
The Glorious
Mysteries
III. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles
Brief
meditation:
The
disciples were afraid. Most of us have
probably never experienced fear like the fear they were gripped with. They were
afraid they would be killed for being Jesus' followers. But if they weren't killed, what were they to
do; now that Jesus was gone? Then the
Holy Spirit descended upon them and transformed them. Their fear was banished, and they were filled
with courage. This is the greatest
before-and-after sequence the world has ever seen.
Scriptural
meditations:
1. When the days of Pentecost were drawing to a
close, they were all together in one place. (Acts 2:1)- Hail Mary…
2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind blowing. (Acts
2:2)- Hail Mary…
3. And there appeared to them parted tongues as
of fire, which settled upon each of them. (Acts 2:3)- Hail Mary…
4. And they were filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak of the wonderful works of God.
(Acts 2:4, 11)- Hail Mary…
5. Now there were staying in Jerusalem devout
Jews from every nation under heaven. (Acts 2:5)-
Hail Mary…
6. And Peter, standing
up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke to them. (Acts 2:14)- Hail Mary…
7. "Repent and be baptized; and you will
receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)- Hail Mary…
8. Now they who received his word were baptized
and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41)- Hail
Mary…
9. Send forth Thy Spirit,
and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the
face of the earth. (Psalms
103:30)- Hail Mary…
10. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy
faithful; and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. (Pentecost Alleluia)- Hail Mary…
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