He, the Lord is our God; throughout the earth his judgments prevail. He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations – which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac; which he established for Jacob by statute, for Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan as your allotted inheritance.”
– Psalm 105: 7-11
All who heard of it were astonished at the report given them by the shepherds. Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, in accord with what had been told them. – Luke 2: 18-20
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF REPETITION:
God is mystery: this simple and profound statement reveals how very limited we are to comprehend the reality of God. God has chosen ingenious ways to reveal Himself to us, so that in spite of our limited capacity to comprehend the divinity, our hearts can be moved profoundly and our lives transformed by it. John’s Gospel Prologue tells us that Jesus is the Word of God who existed before the beginning of creation. This Word was with God, and this Word was God. Through Jesus all things came into being. Whoever came to be in Him found everlasting life. Jesus is the light that shines on in the darkness.
This truth, simply stated, warms our hearts and fills them with intense hope and joy. It makes sense therefore to ponder God’s loving mystery revealed to us in the Scriptures and especially through Jesus Christ, day after day, so that they penetrate the depths of our being and bring about our transformation into God’s sons and daughters. In Luke, chapter 2 we are told that Mary “treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” Similarly the shepherds returned to their flocks “glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen.”
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola recommends repetitions in prayer, or going over the same subject matter a second and third time in order to deepen our understanding and appreciation of God’s mystery. And in his second introductory observation, St. Ignatius maintains that “it is not much knowledge that fills and satisfies the soul but the intimate understanding and relish of the truth.” It makes sense therefore to take a week to taste and relish the truth that God has already revealed to us in the past ten weeks of this online retreat. Let us look at some aspects of God’s revelation.
GOD’S EVERLASTING LOVE AND MERCY:
God reveals the deepest divine sentiments in the story of creation. Of all the creatures only humans have been created in God’s image and likeness. And God entrusts us with the care of creatures. God offers freely this gift of life to us, desiring that we live according to our God-given identity and enter into union with the Living God. Because this gift is offered freely to us, we have the choice to accept God’s invitation to union with Him or reject the offer.
The story of Adam and Eve makes it clear that the divine offer was rejected. In our own hearts we are aware of this rebellious streak that sabotages our deepest yearnings for union with God. In the face of our rebellion, God offers us mercy, a covenant relationship, and the promise of a redeemer.
GOD’S COVENANTS WITH US:
We have already looked at several covenants beginning with the creation covenant and moving on through Noah, Abraham, the Passover Feast, and the Sinai covenant. In all these covenants, God’s attitude is one of steadfast love, jealous protection of the Israelites, and enduring forgiveness. Several times the narratives are very graphic and depict God as being on the brink of destroying His people. Yet in every instance God desires to overcome justice with mercy and forgiveness, reminding us thereby, that the quickest way to righteousness is through receiving mercy.
GOD THE PROMISE KEEPER:
Keeping promises is essential to being a Covenant-God. God makes promises to Abraham and Sarah and keeps them even though the circumstances of their lives argued against the fulfillment of these promises. Similarly, God’s promises extended to Abraham’s descendants as well. Consequently God sent Moses to liberate the Israelites from slavery and bring them back to their Maker and God. Once again the situation in Egypt weighed heavily against God and Moses. The Israelites were a discouraged and oppressed lot. Moses, by his own description was unfit to lead his people out of Egypt. Even after nine plagues, Pharaoh remained resolute. And while Egypt suffered greatly in the tenth plague, Pharaoh endeavored powerfully to bring the Israelites to heel and return to Egypt. Had it not been for God’s power and protection, the Israelites would have been decimated and brought back to Egypt as slaves!
OUR SINFUL REBELLIOUS CONDITION:
Human rebellion against God stands out in stark contrast to God’s love and mercy. Sin lurks in the heart of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden where they were blessed and “walked with God.” In the end they chose to listen to the serpent who convinced them that they would become other gods and ignore the advice given to them by their Creator and God.
Exodus 32 contains another very sinful and rebellious episode in the history of the Israelites. After the mighty works of salvation wrought on their behalf by their powerful and protective God, they (some 300 Israelites) turn against Moses and God and ask Aaron to fashion for them a god made from their gold. Aaron, who after Moses, was their foremost leader and priest, goes along with their plan. They pay homage to this golden calf and proclaim, “This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” On seeing this Aaron built an altar before the calf and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is a feast of the Lord.”
Later when Moses confronts Aaron, he gives the same lame excuses that Adam and Eve gave God, pointing the finger at others rather than taking responsibility for his sinful deed. This is what he said to Moses: “Let not my Lord be angry. You know well enough how prone the people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us a god to be our leader; as for the man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Let anyone who has gold jewelry take it off.’ They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” This same sinfulness and rebellion lurks in our own hearts. Like the Israelites, and like Aaron I might add, we too are prone to evil. Until we grasp how easily inclined we are to set ourselves up against God, we will never understand that our lives are unmanageable and we absolutely need Jesus Christ as our Savior, not just once in a while, but every single moment of our lives.
THE POWER OF INTERCESSION:
In Genesis 18, Abraham intercedes for Sodom. He makes an eloquent argument, appealing to God’s justice to stay the divine hand from destroying Sodom. How could God destroy Sodom if there were at least 50 just men living in that city? God was convinced and agreed that destruction would not be the answer as the just could not die with the wicked. Abraham, in his trusting audacity with God, then whittles the number down to 40, to 30, to 20, to 10, and in each instance God’s reply is, “I will not destroy it.” Finally, Abraham understands two significant realities: one, that God will go to any lengths to be merciful and forgive, and two, that there was not a single just man in Sodom! So he backs off from the destruction of Sodom.
Moses is terribly upset at the idolatrous worship of his people, aided and abetted by his brother, Aaron. Moses is also keenly aware of God’s anger toward this idolatry, especially since He has been their Covenant-God all along! And God blurts this out to Moses: Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation (Exodus 32: 10).” It is interesting that God wants to be just as he destroys his people, but also to keep to his promise of making them a great nation. Moses, the self-proclaimed stutterer, is eloquent and convincing in his rebuttal. “Why, O Lord, should your wrath blaze up against your own people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains and exterminate them from the face of the earth’? Let your blazing wrath die down; relent in punishing your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’ (Exodus 32: 11-13)” And God relented, and did not inflict the punishment He had threatened.
It might be helpful to ask how and why Abraham and Moses had such power with God.
THE WISDOM OF THE IMITATION OF CHRIST:
It becomes evident as you delve into “The Imitation of Christ,” that you are in the presence of a very holy writer who lived in deep intimacy and union with God. As you read him you get the impression that he is addressing you directly and has the wonderful capacity to sift reality from illusion, the wisdom of Jesus from the folly of the world disguised as wisdom. In almost every chapter, he impresses upon the reader the need to keep a delicate and necessary balance between God’s passionate love and mercy for us and our own devious and rebellious ways. One of my favorite chapters in the whole book is Book Two, Chapter 12: Of the Royal Road of the Holy Cross. Here is one among many marvelous gems in this chapter: “The less self-centered you become, the more you become centered in God… Our worth and our spiritual progress do not rest on warm feelings and God-given comforts, but rather on patiently enduring great calamities and trials.” You can ponder the wisdom of this chapter and these lines during the week.
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER:
· Be faithful to your time of prayer, and make it between 20 and 30 minutes daily.
· Begin every prayer session with an earnest prayer to the Holy Spirit like the one I have composed for you: Come, Holy Spirit, and overshadow me with your gentle wisdom and power as I endeavor to sit at the feet of Jesus during this period of prayer. Purify my mind and heart as I seek to make the teachings of Jesus my priority in life, thinking, speaking and doing as He desires. You are the keeper of my soul, leading me into God’s heart. May I be docile and submissive to your wisdom and guidance. May my life be a pleasing offering in your sight. Amen.
· Take any of the passages suggested for prayer from the past ten weeks. During the week you might want to ponder the following question: “In essence, what has the Holy Spirit been teaching me during the past ten weeks?”
· Lastly, during your prayer make sure you also address God directly and listen for the Holy Spirit’s responses.
· You can end your prayer with the following: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your gracious companionship. I praise you for being my Creator, Savior and Lord. May I take your blessings to my day, and may your presence envelop and permeate all my thoughts and actions. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PASSAGES FOR PRAYER:
Choose those passages that have brought you consolation and inspiration and/or those that challenged and convicted you in the past ten weeks.
SPIRITUAL READING:
The Imitation of Christ:
After the Bible, this classic is the most widely read. There are four books and 114 chapters in all. You could savor this book three times over if you read a single chapter each day of the retreat. For this week you can go back to what struck you the most in the past ten weeks.
The Bible:
It would be even more important for you to become familiar with the Bible, especially with the New Testament. Similarly, beginning with the New Testament you can choose to read a few chapters on a daily basis
SCRIPTURAL READING:
Old Testament:
Choose some passages from Genesis and Exodus that struck you.
New Testament:
Choose some chapters that struck you in the past ten weeks.
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