Hughs reflection on the readings for Sunday, August 17, 2014 Isaiah 56:1,6-7 Psalm 67:2-3,5-6,8 Romans 11:13-15,29-32 Matthew 15:21-28 Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. If you read Isaiah from start to finish, one will notice a change when you get to Chapter 56. Scholars say it is because it is the beginning of Trito (or third) Isaiah, a disciple of the great prophet, writing in a different age with different problems. It may be, but the change I notice is that the prophecy moves from encouraging words (“All you who are thirsty, come to the water…”; “…though the mountains may leave their place and the hills be shaken, My love shall never leave you…”; etc)…to a call for action. “Observe what is right, do what is just…” God tells us through the prophet. Many of you know that I lost my father to a heart condition a few years ago. We were visited with tragedy again this year as my Aunt Mary left us for her place with the angels. As a family we grieve together. We just had a family reunion, so of course we remembered them and two lives well lived. There is a fair bit of healing and forgiveness still going on as we sift through the memories. There is common recognition though that for whatever shortcomings either had, everything they did was out of a deep pool of love, always trying to do what is right and just, generally when we weren’t especially demonstrating those kinds of qualities. Isaiah tells us we too need to act that way for “…my salvation is about to come…” and it must impact the way we live now. Our salvation is captured in the cross and in the resurrection of Jesus. We can never pay for the lapses we have in forgiveness, the blindness to pain, the exercise of self righteousness, the chosen ignorance to poverty. We confuse what it means to do right. Jesus wasn’t confused though and he tells us sometimes it isn’t what we think it is. The woman in the Gospel was an outsider to the community recognized as carrying the promise. She had no inheritance. Jesus saw her faith and made sure she and the apostles understood, it isn’t the lineage that is important; it is faith in him is the way to salvation. It is our way too. The Kingdom of God isn’t a place far away. It is now if you want to know it. Isaiah’s calling is a part of the change in us that will bring Christ to the world. It is a personal calling. If we think of it as ‘special’ not really meant for us, it means we fail to see our part in the Body of Christ alive in the world. We do have a place and a purpose to fulfill and it isn’t simply to wait for it and find it in heaven; it is for us here to be a part of. While there is a Gospel imperative to “be perfect” the first steps do not require we be perfect. They do require us to reflect on how we need to live, what values we live by and what relationships forge our character. Jesus gives us his example. Isaiah calls us to action…”Observe what is right, do what is just.” Like Dad and Aunt Mary and a host of others, we may not always be perfect, but if we can start by observing what is right and doing what is just, we can ask the Lord to guide the rest of our steps and he will. God Bless Hugh
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 10:40:11 +0000
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