Guardian dear

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are opportunities to reflect on the protection of God for people. We have experiences where we find a path or direction which takes us away from what seems to have been a movement toward physical, emotional or spiritual harm. The other tension or influence toward opportunities to grow in love, mercy, compassion and empathy may take more reflection to identify but these experiences are also very memorable. The Book of Exodus recalls the protection experienced by the Israelites as they moved into the Promised Land. The fulfillment of the Divine plan is tied to our relationship with spiritual movement to protect our path. The first reading for some areas of the United States today is from the Book of Job. Friar Jude Winkler presents a view of the protection given Job through trials in which he certainly wished to be dead. The example in Job of faithful trust in God is the prayer for protection in Psalm 91. This cry for help is full of expectant hope of deliverance from fear and harm. In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus exhorts us to dwell in the humility and trust of children who can make not claim on their own status for privilege or position in society. Their fate is at the hands of others. The protection of God is known to the person who has been freed from reliance on our plans and schemes for existence. The opportunity to be aware of our life within the Body of Christ from which we can draw direction and support is a great Eucharistic Gift. The testimony and witness of many, living and dead, is part of the spiritual environment which moves us in the path of the Divine plan.