Daily Retreat 10/13/07
2007 Oct 13 Sat/ BVM
Jl 4: 12-21/ Ps 96(97): 1-2. 5-6. 11-12/ Lk 11: 27-28
From today’s readings: “The LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the children of Israel.... Rejoice in the Lord, you just!.... Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it....”
The Good News of Gloom and Doom
Today, the prophet Joel continues the preview of God’s judgment (the lectionary will focus more on this especially in November). Read the entire four chapters of this book to see the whole picture. A few background notes may help: in Joel’s day, there was a ghastly plague of locusts that relentlessly consumed all vegetation in its path. We can hardly imagine how terrifying that must have been to be faced with such an unremitting, all-consuming adversary!
For Joel, this frightening reality could also be seen in a different light - as an image of the justice of God perpetually swallowing up and over-shadowing all evil. Since there was no way to resist the plague, the people’s only hope was to return whole-heartedly to the Lord with prayer, penance, and fasting - in other words, to voluntarily expunge all the evil from their midst (some verses from chapter 2 probably sound vaguely familiar because they are read on Ash Wednesday).
Although unbridled evil is truly terrifying, even more terrifying is the Lord’s judgment and ultimate dispatchment of all evil. But for those willing to cast off evil and turn to God with prayer, fasting, and penance, He is the opposite of terrifying - "the LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the children of Israel."
Jl 4: 12-21/ Ps 96(97): 1-2. 5-6. 11-12/ Lk 11: 27-28
From today’s readings: “The LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the children of Israel.... Rejoice in the Lord, you just!.... Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it....”
The Good News of Gloom and Doom
Today, the prophet Joel continues the preview of God’s judgment (the lectionary will focus more on this especially in November). Read the entire four chapters of this book to see the whole picture. A few background notes may help: in Joel’s day, there was a ghastly plague of locusts that relentlessly consumed all vegetation in its path. We can hardly imagine how terrifying that must have been to be faced with such an unremitting, all-consuming adversary!
For Joel, this frightening reality could also be seen in a different light - as an image of the justice of God perpetually swallowing up and over-shadowing all evil. Since there was no way to resist the plague, the people’s only hope was to return whole-heartedly to the Lord with prayer, penance, and fasting - in other words, to voluntarily expunge all the evil from their midst (some verses from chapter 2 probably sound vaguely familiar because they are read on Ash Wednesday).
Although unbridled evil is truly terrifying, even more terrifying is the Lord’s judgment and ultimate dispatchment of all evil. But for those willing to cast off evil and turn to God with prayer, fasting, and penance, He is the opposite of terrifying - "the LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the children of Israel."
posted by FrPitstick | 10/09/2007
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