Decisions for death

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary reflect on the consequences experienced when the realization is made that the relationship with the Divine has been damaged by neglect and choosing to follow our own desires. Baruch surveys the state of his people exiled in Babylon after following a path which relied on human power and politics to determine the decisions of the Hebrew people. He laments the loss of contact that Moses maintained with God and the time when the prophets guided the people by hearing the voice of the Lord. The psalmist pleas for mercy from God for Jerusalem which  defiled and destroyed by the foreign invaders. The psalm petitions God to demonstrate Divine compassion and deliver the people for the sake of God's Name which is mercy and forgiveness. The Gospel of Luke expresses the destruction of life which comes to the people who reject the "Good News" of Jesus which has been made known to them through deeds which confirm the relationship of Jesus to God. The knowledge and experience of Divine gracious mercy, compassion and love makes the rejection of such gifts a very serious decision.