| FROM THE SERVANT GENERAL OUR THEME FOR 2024 (PART 9) |
| LOYALTY TO GOD March 9, 2024 Today’s readings: Hosea 6:1-6 Psalm 51:3-4, 18-21 Luke 18:9-14 Israel had been afflicted, seemingly abandoned by God. Today the people of God suffer great afflictions, and some question where is God in all these. We learn from our ancestors in the faith. They said, “It is he who has torn, …. he has struck down” (Hos 6:1b,d). Is God the direct cause of our woes? No and yes. No, in that we bring down woes upon ourselves, by our sins and infidelity to God, by our letting go of God. Yes, in that God does at times inflict woes upon us, for His purposes. In the first instance, God allows such woes. In the second instance, God Himself carries out such woes. In both instances, God is in control. Israel recognized this, thus saying, “Come, let us return to the Lord, for it is he who has torn, but he will heal us; he has struck down, but he will bind our wounds.” (Hos 6:1). Israel still looked to God and went through the motions of worship and sacrifices, but their hearts were far from God. They violated their covenant. They betrayed God. Today many of the people of God are the same. They claim to be Christian, they pray, they go to church (even receive Holy Communion), they do social action. At the same time, they contracept, abort, divorce, lie, cheat, slander, are into sexual immorality. They are disloyal to God. Whatever knowledge of God they have does not translate into their day-to-day lives. Now God says, “it is loyalty that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hos 6:6). How do we go beyond outward actions to an internal disposition of loyalty to and knowledge of God? We look at the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Because he strictly obeyed the law of Moses (fast, tithe), the Pharisee suffered from pride and arrogance. He was “convinced of (his) own righteousness and despised everyone else.” (Lk 18:9). He confidently extolled himself before God, and disdained the rest of sinful humanity, especially the tax collector (Lk 18:11). On the other hand, the tax collector took a lowly place, would not even raise his eyes to heaven, and just pleaded for God’s mercy (Lk 18:13). Jesus extolled the tax collector and not the Pharisee. What do we learn? First, we must humble ourselves before God. God is in control of our lives, not us. As such, we look not to what we do for God, including external worship, but to how our hearts are in relation to God. We look not to self but to God, not to what we do for Him but what He can do for us and wants to do with us. We recognize our total dependence upon God. And so it is that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk 18:14b). Second, we recognize our sinfulness, our failure to rise to the righteousness of God. We have nothing to boast of before a holy God. And so we repent of sin and look to His mercy. “Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.” (Ps 51:3). We do not only go through the motions of our Christianity, for God does not look to ritual sacrifice or burnt offering (Ps 51:18), but the proper disposition of our heart. It is to be a repentant and humble heart. “My sacrifice O God, is a contrite spirit” (Ps 51:19a). This is what is acceptable to God. “A contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.” (Ps 51:19b). Third, we must be loyal to God. We express this in concrete ways. One, we must pray. Without ceasing. We pray when we wake up, when we go to sleep, and all moments in between. We acknowledge, in total humility, that we are nothing apart from God. Two, we read and study the word of God. How can we be loyal if we do not know what God requires? We must have real knowledge of God and His ways. “Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord” (Hos 6:3a). Three, we serve God according to His will. Not ours. We obey, including and especially the hard teachings. Four, we evangelize. We proclaim Christ. We carry on with the mission of Jesus, as we have been instructed to do. Five, we stand for Christ and for his Church. We defend faith, family and life. We become prophetic witnesses. We stand in the breach as holy warriors. We fight against those who seek the destruction of our Church, including the enemy within. As God dealt with His chosen people Israel, so God deals with Christians today, and will continue to deal with us till the end of time. God has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is God who yesterday tore and struck us down, due to our infidelities, pride and disloyalty; it is God who today heals us, binds our wounds, revives us; and it is God who will raise us up to live in His presence forever (Hos 6:1-2). * * * |
