Wednesday Reflection: September 19l 2007

The gospel reading today has a strong message but it is cloaked a bit in phrases and a song of Jesus' times. Today more than other times in our history the word "criteria" is a part of our vocabulary. Computers, communications, and the need for guidelines because of such busy lives we live -- all of these require criteria of us to get through the day. Even youngsters in the school are taught that there are criteria we need to decide how to live our lives. We call them morals and ethics.



The gospel teaches that we cannot set the criteria for how God should work in our lives. Those who prefer the strict ways of the Baptist are seen as a contradiction when they see Jesus as too liberal because he eats with sinners. They choose according to their likes and dislikes.



The final verse of this reading, "Wisdom is vindicated by all her children," should have stopped you to ask ... "What does this mean?" Those who speak about a God who is severe, a God they hope will condemn to hell any disreputable person have, as children, the bitterness and hatred they show toward any who think differently, may be of a different ethnic group, or simply just may not be part of the "in" group. The child of those who want and ultra-liberal God who gives in to anything anyone wants is a culture created to permit almost any evil where there are no rules. Is either of these what God expects of us?



If we accept the Ten Commandments, we know that God expects us to be responsible for our actions especially when our deeds offend him or others. Our joy is that we also know that he is a forgiving God, always ready to stand with us when we acknowledge our failures.



St. Augustine, commenting on Psalms 99 and 11, reminds us of our fragile status as human beings. God willingly forgives because he knows that life is a testing furnace and that we come out "half-cracked."