First Tuesday of Lent

From the Word of the Day

 Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

                                             Isaiah 55: 10-11

 

How should we live this Word

 This passage brings to mind the word that called all into being at the dawn of creation.  ‘God said’ and out of nothing came all that was called by name.  It is an image full of poetry, but not limited to this.  That word which breaks the silence and lights up tremors of life is a word that ‘calls’.  It creates relationships.  It is the Trinitarian image impressed on nature, even on inanimate nature, which obeys laws putting it into rapport with everything.  This image is at its height in human beings, given our capacity to receive and respond freely to the divine call.

 That which we call holiness is none other than the free and joyful expansion of self in relationship with God and with others, bringing us to our full realization.  This is a desired goal but we well know its challenges.  We run the risk of falling into discouragement, as though holiness were a luxury reserved for a few elect.  Instead it is a call addressed to everyone.  Isaiah’s oracle re-launches us on this adventure with its consoling words.  God’s word is always efficacious.  When God pronounced my name, calling me into a loving relationship with Him and with others, that very word was the foundation and promise of its realization, on the one condition that I want it. 

 Today as I pause for silent contemplation, I will renew my confidence in the power of God’s word.

 Lord, send Your Word to me, to my family, to all of humanity so that through it, Your dream of universal fraternity may be realized.

 The voice of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, contemporary witness

 If God’s Word is with me, I find my way even outside my country, my right in injustice, my support in uncertainty, my strength in labor, my patience in suffering.