30 June 2016 - sweeter than honey

[ Today's Readings ]

The statutes of the LORD are true,
all of them just;
More desirable than gold,
than a hoard of purest gold,
Sweeter also than honey
or drippings from the comb.

But we don't always find his statutes to be sweet. Ignatius of Loyola points out that when we aren't really pursuing him we tend to imagine that sin is sweet and hear the statutes of the LORD as stinging and biting condemnations of conscience. But it is possible to experience that God's statutes are sweeter than honey or drippings from the comb. This is the essential truth of his statutes. Our experience of them is not accurate when it is other than that. If we are really trying to follow Jesus, if we are purifying our souls and moving from good to better in the service of God, we do experience the consolations of his word. They impart strength, tears, and inspirations so that we may move forward in doing good.

Is there are part of our lives where we aren't interested in hearing what the LORD has to say?

“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”

If there is such a part of our lives we need to hear it there most of all. We are living in the illusion that we know best. We imagine bitter things to be sweet and so never have a meal, as it were, that we enjoy, that truly satisfies. It's important to know that we can experience the LORD's word about this part of our lives differently. It stings and bites now. But if we surrender it to him we realize that it is perfect, enlightening, pure, true and just. We taste the sweetness of his word and our hearts and our souls rejoice.

Jesus has the power to forgive us and to heal us. Historically, he gives the power to heal more freely to his prophets and reserves the power of forgiveness to himself. But now, in the age of the Church, the more important thing, the thing which was formerly reserved to God alone, he has now made superabundantly available. 

“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”

He is more present now in the age of the Church than at any prior time in history. He is ready to forgive us. The place where we want to hear these words the least stands to be the place where they can make the most transformative difference. Our earthly pilgrimage is transformed from burden to privilege. 

When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Your name is like honey...