Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Reflections for the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time, Part 2

Thursday – Truth

God's truth endures forever. God is a sure source of truth. He has revealed His truth in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and He has given us the Church's Magisterum (or teaching office) to guard and teach the truths of Divine Revelation.

Our modern world tends to sound a lot like Pontius Pilate, when he cynically asks Jesus, “What is truth?” Some people think truth is whatever works for a particular person in a particular situation. Some say that truth is non-existent or at least not knowable to human beings. 

This is false. We human beings are pre-programmed for truth. We seek it eagerly. We long to find it. We know deep down that it is out there somewhere. But we are so fallen and weak that we often fail to see it. 

That's why God has revealed His truth to us. He wants us to “get it right” about Him and about His plan for our salvation. He wants us to “get it right” about His moral law. He wants us to “get it right” so that we can live in an intimate relationship with Him now and in face-to-face bliss with Him in Heaven. 

Lord, may we always seek and find Your truth in humility and love. Amen.

Friday – Glimpse of God or Distraction?

Today's readings invite us to reflect on the created world around us. Does it help us catch a glimpse of God, or is it mostly a distraction that keeps us from recognizing higher spiritual realities?

The first reading from the Book of Wisdom and the Psalm remind us that God does greet us through created things. The goodness, truth, and beauty we discover in the world are meant to draw our eyes up to the Goodness, Truth, and Beauty that is God Himself. As the author of the Book of Wisdom says, “For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original Author, by analogy, is seen,” and the Psalmist reminds us that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.” Creation, then, is designed to lead us to God.

Humans, however, have a nasty tendency to distort things. The created world often becomes a distraction that draws our minds and hearts away from God as we focus our attention on material things, money, power, honor, and fame. We still seek goodness, beauty, and truth, but we fail to look up when we find it. We look down instead, becoming more and more immersed in the created world. Our perspective becomes warped, and we forget the Creator.

Strive, then, to put the things of this world in their proper position. Although they are flawed, they do contain goodness, truth, and beauty, not in themselves but as a reflection of the God Who created them just for us.

Saturday – Remembrance

“Remember the marvels the Lord has done!” 

Memory is key to our faith, hope, and love. We remember the wonderful things God has done for us in the past, and our faith grows stronger. We remember how God has provided so carefully and thoroughly for our salvation, and we are filled with hope that He will continue to do so until we are safely home in Heaven. We remember God's great love for us from all eternity, and we blossom with love for Him in return. 

“Remember the marvels the Lord has done!” 

Spend some times today remembering the marvels God has worked in your life. Remember His love. Remember His constant care. Remember His fatherly guidance. Remember His responses to your prayers. Remember that God does not change. What He has done for us in the past, He will continue to do now and always.

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