19/02/2023

I missed yesterday. This morning, Leviticus presents us with a summary of the Ten brought down from Mt Sinai by Moses. Dear Lord if your first choice had listened to your Word they would not ever have hardened their hearts as they did on  numerous occasions  while in the process of growing into the nation and people that still, today, are the witness of your Covenant with them.

Paul does not speak of a nation or a people. He avoids the egocentric nationalism of the Pharisees and their descendants. He tells each one of his congregation and also the millions of people that have lived are living and will live after them that Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons one God, loves, knows and supports each one of us in the freedom he has created for us. The Ever-greater person lets us chose to become a home fit for holiness that is our target as we worship.

Jesus returns to the roots of the Commandments. God does not approve anything we do that harms another person. The inner being of the Trinity is only Love. We have been given responsibility for our Earth. The deaths in the Earthquake in Turkey/Syria are not sought by God. The greed of the rich who built the tower blocks is no greater than the greed of the Vatican or of the "rich young man" who went sorrowfully away. The sun does shine on us all. The Material Universe is what it is. It is not programmed to make judgements about the morality of nations or individuals.

It is not Church structure that brings us to God but persons in the Church can reach a God-given perfection. It is my personal holiness that can make the Church the Holy of Holies; the dwelling-place on Earth for the Mercy bestowed by the suffering Christ; a dwelling place fitting, as much as it can be in human eyes,  for my Lord and my God.

Dear Lord let me learn to recognise your gifts to me, let me too be of humble of heart so that the pride that rises like the yeast in dough that is proving as I write this, does not continue to smother the grace you have encouraged me to seek out. May Mary's prayers help young people to withstand the lure of glamour and bodily satisfaction and may the sincerity of atonement in Purgatory come closer to the Mercy that guarantees a place in Heaven.