Today's Gospel urges us to actively seek a relationship with God that a caring friend or devoted parent might give. Jesus' unique union with His Father beckons us to nurture this same trust and reliance. The Pharisees of this time were very insular, detached, 'inaccessible islands' so-to-speak. They had lost all touch with faith that God had so carefully and lovingly provided by the promise of His covenant. Have you ever known someone who disagreed with your thinking, when you knew fully well they were stuck in their position? I think Jesus must have been so fed up with the thick-headedness of these so-called men of God. Can you imagine that some had actually witnessed Jesus as a twelve year old, exhibiting extraordinary wisdom in the Temple? And even now, they were ready to stone him for heresy! Are we being thick-headed in our lack of faith... are we relying on God? I had a conversation recently with a friend who talked about his feelings of God. He asked, could I imagine how God must feel to see His people suffer? It made me realize that my conversations with God/Jesus are too few and far between. It also made me aware that God understands all too well how helpless we feel to fix the problems of the world. God's covenant with us is a promise to sustain us through thick and thin. Christ's life gives us hope; new rules. What am I waiting for... have I invited Him to a conversation lately? "Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you." Psalm 137 |