Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter - 2012
Once again we have the opportunity to see an actualization of a phrase associated with Christmas and John the Baptist: crooked lines being made straight." In a very busy society there are so many distractions that living a strong spiritual life is so very difficult. It is easy to fail seeing how God can take crooked lines and make them straight ... especially when it involves my own life. Concern for the temporal problems prevents seeing hidden spiritual realities -- like the love of God for us -- no matter what the problem. Also we find ourselves easily caught up on the dizziness of the business of the "race" that we live each day that we fail to let ourselves be the putty on God's spinning pottery table. We become so spun out by problems that we fail to allow God to shape us into a magnificent spiritual presence that he wants us to be in our world.
Today our world often discusses values. Naturally we find ourselves in such discussions and at times in very challenging moments. A question arises whether we ever know how to get off the spinning wheel of society: Do I know what my values really are? If I look at my actions, especially when in the crunch of an emotional pressure cooker, I can get a glimpse of my true values.
The first reading, noted above, recounts a time when Paul and his colleague, Silas, had to be very clear about their values. This might lead us to consider how clear are the values in our lives. At the same time the result of the earthquake and the jailer's fate show us how God can work even with those who are not as clear about their values. The new-found faith of the prison guard might be truly surprising to to people of our modern society. Would the same rapid response and adoption of the faith Paul and Silas were teaching happen today? My view: probably not.
Again our lives are so filled with distractions that it become difficult for many to see that Jesus is at the core of all the events in our lives. Many would challenge the statement that Jesus is at the core of 9/11! This is the modern challenge or it is the challenge for modern man: to see Jesus Christ in all we do or in what happens to us -- not that he is the cause but that he is to be found there to lead us to the Father. Is Jesus truly the desire of my life?
