PRAYER PAUSE
Thursday 23 March 2017
THEY REFUSED
TO FACE ME
Pause. Enter into the stillness of God
within.
Reading: “But they did not listen, they did
not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused
to face me, and turned their backs on me.” (Jer 7:23-28)
Reflection. Jeremiah laments the persistent
failure of Israel to be faithful to the invitation of God who had formed them
as his own people and promised them “peace
flowing like a river.” But they followed the prompting of the “enemy of our human
nature” (Ignatius) and landed in disaster after disaster. Israel’s story is our
story and Lent prompts us in the opposite direction; to reach out to God despite
our “debris-covered heart” (Rahner). That we are unfaithful is not a matter of
despair but of sorrow. And sorrow is a healthy thing for it is a true awareness
of our poor broken hearts. And it frees us to turn to the one source of our
healing and happiness, with trust and joy.
Prayer. Lord, let us not lose heart in
our tattered world but let us reach out to you in hope and joy. Amen.
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