The Psalm offers the hearty meat of the sandwich. We can be confident in asking for and expecting God’s guidance. Savor the assurances here. God is before us, behind, us and around us. His hand is upon us. We are his children. He is our God. These graces offer the sustenance and assurance to contemplate and ask for continued grace to tackle those hard challenges in the first and last readings. We get to another set of high standards in Luke. We see how Jesus loves us and wants us to help one another. He scolds to warn us about leading one another astray and sets a very high standard for forgiving one another when we do stumble. Our response may match the disciples’ response to these challenging messages: “Lord, increase our faith!” Jesus assures us at the end of the reading that God provides all we need to do what is asked of us. Our challenge is to believe it – to really believe it. I am often like an exasperated child, quick to despair. I want to be more like a mature child, confident and obedient in the guidance and gifts provided by a loving God. I need to savor that Psalm several times today. Guide us Lord along the everlasting way. Thank you for your patient and constant love and care. We ask for more awareness today of the power these graces provide to love and care for one another and to seek justice and integrity in all we do. |