Student Daily Reflection

A people condemned by their society, how typical a story that is in the Old Testament. So often in the scriptures we encounter the societies that have turned away from God’s goodness and have suffered from it. Yet how luckily were the Ninevites in the first reading that God sent Jonah to warn them of their lurking future and how blessed they were that their king was capable of fully understanding the wrath of God and His mercy as well.

Now for us the idea that God would actually destroy our cities or countries seems almost comical. For centuries, countries and people always believed their achievement came from the blessings and graces of God. Yet in modern era, it seems almost a weakness to associate too closely with God. Those of us who are Americans like to keep God where we want Him, instead of where He wants us. Our money is covered with the words of our trust in God, in our belief in His protection of the United States, yet do we sincerely live in that trust? Do we as a country honestly honor our part of the relationship with God that was established over two hundred years ago?

Short and sweet, no, we do not. We live in a bubble, believing that somehow the moral state of our society does not matter. That regardless of how the popular culture is moving, we as a country will still receive the graces of God. We as a country have become arrogant in the way we live.

Now while there are probably a multitude of reasons for the overall arrogance of our relationships with God, there is one that keeps coming back to me. And that is the salvation Jesus gave us. With the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we as humans were all redeemed. And that is so beautiful. God is so merciful! But how often do we allow ourselves to take advantage of that mercy? How often do we allow ourselves to fall into sin because we know we will just be forgiven in the long run? How often do we really meditate on what Jesus did for us on the cross? And how often do we dismiss what has become of the United States because we no longer fear the wrath of God?

As we continue to move through the Lenten season in preparation for the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, let’s stop and meditate on the sacrifice that was made for each one of us and what that means in how we live our life. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to appreciate the mercies of God, to thank God daily for the forgiveness of sins and to fully see the beauty that is in the sacrament of Reconciliation. But most importantly, let us pray that just as God was able to open the eyes of Ninevites, we too as a country will open our eyes to Him.