Love Shining – October 23, 2012 (Psalm 4:6)
‘Many are asking: “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O God.’ (PS 4:6)
Politics brings out the worst in people; divided by partisan bickering and hyperbole, battered by sound bites that become more like sound ‘bullets’ as the election draws near, we limp to the ballot box.
Who can show us any good? Few believe that politicians can, and rightly so. Our hope must be in something more.
Sadly, many mistrust the Church as much as they do the State. Most Americans have encountered ‘church’ in various forms and have walked away with a trace of faith but unchanged. Caught in the volley between self-reliance and slavish devotion to another, we settle for less. ‘Gay marriage’ is but a symptom of the cynicism that results from mistrust in Jesus and His bride.
Shine on us, O God. Yesterday in church I looked around me and saw a beautiful and broken group of Christians humbly confessing their sins, seeking the strength to turn from sin to the Son, wanting above all else to reflect Him more brightly.
I then considered the thousands of men and women I know what have cried out for mercy in light of their homosexuality or the struggle of a loved one. I have witnessed Jesus being formed in them through the fire: faith refined and growing stronger as they learned to entrust their very lives to Jesus.
No wonder the struggle is so deep: Jesus knows exactly what it takes for Him to be our all-in-all! A flashy miracle would never work Christ in us. Through hours of saints praying for us then through our many confessions and healing prayer sessions, Jesus lays claim to the whole of us. Now we are His, a shining witness of His love.
Jesus will shine upon us in the days to come as never before. His Mercy will triumph over the compromise and unbelief in the world. His Church will shine.
God gave St. Faustina a similar promise. In spite of her weakness and the compromised church, Jesus promised her that the Church would shine with Mercy.
‘There will come a time when this work of mercy, which God is demanding so very much, will be as though utterly undone. And then God will act in great power, which will give evidence of its authenticity. It will be a new splendor for the Church.’
Let it be so, O God. Please reclaim the years of struggle by making us more pure and merciful reflections of Your love. Make us a Bride that more nearly answers the cry of restless, wounded hearts.
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October 23, 2012
‘Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O God.’ (Ps. 4:6)
We live in a day of decreasing trust. Superficially, we have never been more connected; we tend to our cyber-family with whom we live out loud and yet only know through hastily posted opinions and photos. Global news, usually tragic, bombards us constantly. Among the barrage are scandals of church and state that erode trust. Overall, the convenience of living through a screen or many screens over-stimulates us then blunts our capacity to relate to real people. We are alone together.
‘Who can show us any good?’ Human hearts have recoiled from trust, the trust capable of deepening friendship with God and His community. An election year does not help. Blah, Blah, Obama; Blah, Blah Romney…Just so many talking heads with no capacity to deliver the goods. ‘Who can show us any good?’
We must heed the deeper cry of our hearts, the one only our Creator can satisfy. ‘Let the light of Your face, beautiful God, shine upon us.’ You alone are THE good. And we are Your people. May we reflect Your light and life to those in shadow.
In Christ, ‘we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.’ (2Pet. 1:19)
‘Father, we ask that You would reveal and rout out the mistrust that breeds cynicism, any way we have bonded with the despair of the world. Unite us with Yourself, awesome God. Let Your glory shine on us. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we confess our sins of cowardice and compromise. We have violated Your holy commands in regards to what we have done to our bodies and other bodies. And in our compromise we have become cowards, unwilling to stand for what we know to be true for the dignity of all. We ask that You might have mercy on Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington; uphold marriage in these states, and in our nation, as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on ‘gay marriage.’
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