10 December 2013 - sing over your children

10 December 2013 - sing over your children

And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.

This is who our God is.  He doesn't seek out the lost begrudgingly.  He seeks us desperately.  He doesn't take us back angrily.  He rejoices to take us back!  We have such twisted images of our God if we listen to the stereotypes society has.  Let us find in Scripture who he truly is and not impose worldly models of power and authority on him. 

We are the lost he finds.  Isaiah reminds us, "We all, like sheep have gone astray".  Sometimes we are the ninety-nine, left safe and secure in the hills. But no one, save Our Lady, lives his whole life without straying somewhat.  The upside to this is we get to enjoy the special attention and joy that God has when he brings us back.  In the sense it is indeed a happy fault.  We are "the little ones" whom he does not will to be lost.  When we hear the words of absolution, "I absolve you", we should hear the Father's joy.  We should hear him singing over his children.

And this king is the one who is coming.  Anxious anticipation is the only response to truly realizing this.  Wandering on our own we have every reason to be fearful.  There are many wolves prowling this world.  But listen:

Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,

Our joy should be so strong to hear this good news that we can't help but take up the cry ourselves.  All of creation and indeed heaven itself can't help but rejoice before the LORD who comes to seek and save the lost.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice.
They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.

In order not to be swamped by worldly concerns we need to have the appropriate context here.  Our problems seem huge, insurmountable, but God is bigger still.

So then, the people is the grass.
Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,
the word of our God stands forever.”

If we entrust ourselves to him, if we let ourselves be found by him, he brings us back with unspeakable tenderness.

Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.