Friday of the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Does God care? This is a perennial question by most that are open to belief in God. And for atheists, the existence of evil – despite the very fact that we Christians proclaim a good God who made the world good – is reason enough to believe there is no God.
Today the prophet Nahum tells the Jews exiled in Babylon that their captors are about to get their comeuppance. The Babylonians will be subjugated in the same way they subjugated others. And the Judahites will be restored to their homeland.
The Judahites spent years in exile, some didn’t survive it, and still, others who had the opportunity to return to Judah preferred to remain in the foreign land. In the Church we might be living through a similar period after COVID-19: it seems like God allowed us to suffer in delay, some sadly died before we knew what to do, and as we move back into church and turn the livestreams off, we know the lukewarm will not be coming back. We cannot be sure that this time was any kind of punishment, but we know our spiritual ancestors certainly took the opportunity to return to God with their whole hearts. And if they were just a holy remnant, it was that generation that would go on to produce the Savior of the world in His earthly context: Jesus Christ.
God does hear our prayers, and He does not delay as some understand delay. Gaining the world and all physical health would be a pale exchange for eternal life given to those who trust in the Lord.
Reflection by Fr. Pachomius Meade, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources