A heart contrite and humbled,
O God, you will not spurn.
At Mass recently, we read from Isaiah chapter 58, verses 1-9. These verses about the True Fast God seeks from us lead us to consider the difference between true humility and false humility. This is about the contrast between someone truly surrendering to God and seeking to do His will, and someone who says all the right things but, in their hearts, really wants to do things their own way, not God's way.
It's about those who live their life as a True Fast, a worthy sacrifice to the Lord by giving of themselves, through helping those who are suffering, oppressed, homeless, or hungry, as opposed to those who live entitled lives, expecting blessings from the Lord while at the same time living in a way opposed to His teachings.
The reading points out that God will answer those who live a life with love of Him and neighbor, saying of them, “You shall call and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and He will say: Here I am!” So, does that mean that those who live a Godly life will never suffer, and all their prayers will immediately be answered in exactly the way they would like them to be?
Of course not. That’s not the message the Scriptures are trying to give us. The message is that by living a Godly life focused on the Lord, when we call, He will answer. At times we see His response right away, while at other times we may feel that He did not answer at all, at least not in the way we expected. The real message is that God has much greater things than instant gratification in store for those who love Him and live according to His commands.
Remember, a heart contrite and humbled, God will not spurn.
That’s why seasons such as Advent and Lent are so important to our spiritual life. They are times when we are asked to refocus our life on God and grow in our life of prayer in the many ways we have available to us, especially in the sacrifice of the Mass. Also, through self-denial, giving up that extra cup of coffee, kolache, or donut we think we can’t live without when we’re driving past the bakery, or other things like staying off social media or watching less TV than we normally would.
Lent is a great time to do Works of Mercy, truly seeking out those in mental, physical, or spiritual distress and showing them the love of God by helping them out. All of these things can help us grow stronger in our relationship with the Lord and can lead us to actually live the life God is calling us to live.
Now, those who are not strong in their faith or have no faith at all may ask, "Sounds like a lot of work, but what’s the payoff for me? I’ve got better things to do on Sunday morning than go to church, like sleep in or go out to breakfast. How am I going to benefit from all this?"
Of course, this is not the right attitude or question, but when looking at a relationship with God from a worldly point of view, it’s how many people see it. They don’t understand why it is important that we put all this effort into building and maintaining a strong relationship with God. In their eyes, it may seem that those who are devoted to God suffer just as much as those who are not, and if we are only looking at life from a worldly point of view, that’s understandable. They’re not wrong.
We live in a fallen world, and as Christians, we are not exempt from suffering. And in all honesty, that is not the point. The point is not that if we follow all the rules and try hard enough, God will give us an easy life. The point of knowing, loving, and serving God and neighbor is much deeper; in fact, it's eternal and is answered in Isaiah 58, when we are told, “You shall call and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and He will say: Here I am!”
Yes, as Christians, even in our earthly suffering, when we cry out to the Lord and place our trust in Him, He gives us peace. But the deeper reality is that our life here on earth is just a blink of an eye in God's time, and our home is not here; our home is with the Lord, for eternity. Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us.” That verse is etched in stone on my son Justin’s cemetery monument, and I believe it with all my heart.
Let this penitential time of Lent be not just a short time that we strive to live the life God is calling us to, and then go back to our old ways. But let it be a springboard to live the rest of our life continually growing closer and closer to Him, until that day we meet Him face to face.
Brothers and Sisters, remember it’s our choice. God has given us the freedom to accept His love or reject Him by accepting the ways of the world.
Yes, just like Adam and Eve, we all get to choose.