The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to mindful contemplation of our decisions in the light of faith in Providence.
No Second Guess
Numbers 20.1-13 of Thursday August 5, 2021
The waters of Meribah where Moses struck the rock twice, bringing water to the Israelites and shutting the door for himself to the Promised Land.
Psalm 95
O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah
Matthew 16.13-23
Setting our mind on divine things can be difficult and challenging. The complaints of the Israelites against Moses were connected to the fear of death because of lack of water. The expectation that Moses trust and faith in God should be shown in a single tap on the rock seems a high bar. The psalmist warns us about hardness of heart wherein we proceed with our own will and ignore or refuse to seek guidance of the Spirit before acting. The Gospel of Matthew reveals the response of Peter to the prompts of the Spirit as he confesses Jesus as "the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He demonstrates our human inadequacy as he protests, in misunderstanding, the path of suffering and rejection that Jesus declares as His journey in obedience to the Father.
We are so quick to second guess and to modify course even before it has begun to play out. How might some of the events of our lives been richer if we had not been so hasty to exert our opinion or will in the situation. We, like Peter, are blessed sons and daughters. We are challenged to rest in the Spirit and tap once to move on in faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment