Unpacking the Word

How many times have you heard someone say something to the effect that they cannot darken a church door because the building will collapse on them? Even many of us church-going types have a twisted idea that God will love me and forgive me, but only up to a point. The Spirit speaks directly into that reality this week when he says very clearly, “My thoughts are not your thoughts” because “my thoughts [are] above your thoughts.”

How do we keep a proper perspective so we can forgive in the way we want to be forgiven and overlook the things we would like others to overlook in us? The Spirit suggests a spiritual practice known as memento mori, remembering death.

All baptized Catholics participate in Jesus’ threefold office of king, priest, and prophet. Being a prophet means being the Lord’s voice in a given circumstance. In his day, Ezekiel called out the apathetic worship of God and the syncretistic worship of whatever the culture idolized. In our day, there are also idols and religio-social third rails that no one wants to touch.

Does God actually deceive us? Is he a trickster who lures people into a life they would not choose? This week, the Prophet Jeremiah seems to accuse the Lord of doing just this, tricking him into a career as a prophet that only brings him suffering, a vocation fraught with difficulty.