Do not be afraid of the difficult teaching. Do not be put off by the harsh word. God brings us joy, he also carries a rod. Not so much to chastise, as to instruct. Am I beyond instruction? I am certainly not beyond chastisement. Have I climbed Mt. Zion?
The Office of Reading, a portion of the Liturgy of the Hours, offers us selections from the prophets during these weeks . As summer turns to fall we are made to contemplate Israel's infidelities. We read of feckless kings, a wicked queen, and the disillusion of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. All the while the prophets warn the people and their leaders to repent. There will be a chastisement, but not destruction, if they heed. If not they will lose everything; the land, the City, the Temple. All this is proclaimed, but never without hope. There is always a promise of return and renewal, even if everything seems lost. The promise is the the loss isn't permanent for those who keep faith.
Today we hear from Habakkuk's dialogue with God,* complaining of the injustice in Judah, and how the Lord is silent. God's response is that he will use the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to punish Judah for her infidelities.
These are harsh words, not easy to read. Many today try to avoid such passages, or any that speak of repentance, chastisement or condemnation. But they are a part of the Scriptures, and can not be put aside.
The Scripture passage is followed up by the patristic reading from Bernard of Clairvaux, admonishing us not to shy away from the difficult passages, but take them as wise instruction; these admonishments are for our advantage. If we are wise, we will sit with them, and learn from them.
* You can scroll down the page to get to the readings. Obviously, I encourage everyone to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, which is the prayer of and for the Church.
No comments:
Post a Comment