God: The Lion of Juda Is Not a Household Pet

Then he cried in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, ‘Draw near, you executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.’ And six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand; among them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing-case at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up, from the cherub on which it rested, to the threshold of the house. The Lord called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing-case at his side, and said to him, ‘Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.’ To the others he said in my hearing, ‘Pass through the city after him, and kill; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. Cut down old men, young men and young women, little children and women, but touch no one who has the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.’ So they began with the elders who were in front of the house. Then he said to them, ‘Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go!’ So they went out and killed in the city.(Ezekiel 9: 1-7)

Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house and stopped above the cherubim. The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord; and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.  (Ezekiel 10: 18-19)

This reading from the Book of Ezekiel reminds us that while God's mercy is everlasting, His justice has its day. Prompted by unconditional love, the Only-begotten Son stretched out His arms and was nailed to the cross. With His dying breath He manifested His boundless mercy and spoke a word of forgiveness. For our part, we must embrace the Cross and be bathed in the life-giving stream that flows from the pierced heart of the Savior. God's love is freely offered, never forced. We are free either to accept God's offer of divine love and in love's embrace have our sins washed away; or to refuse it and remain in the darkness of sin.

            It is a source of great comfort to know that we have a great High Priest Who pleads our cause before the Throne of Mercy. Our faith tells us that the Lord will redeem those who turn to Him and take shelter under the shadow of His wings. Once lulled into complacency, we are shocked at sudden change Ezekiel recounts in his vision. The God of glory leaves his mercy-seat, exits the Temple, and abandons His people to their fate. We may be tempted to say, "Hey, God! You're not acting very god-like!" Of course, we expect God to do our will and behave according to our pre-conceived notions. Through this reading, we are reminded that God refuses to be kenneled, and will not be domesticated. The Lion of Juda is not a household pet.

Aslan and Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia

            Those who have read C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia are familiar with the central character, Aslan. In one place Lewis wrote: "Of course he isn't safe. But he's good." Then, towards the end of the same volume, "You mustn't press him. He's wild you know. Not like a tame lion." It is hard for us to wrap our brains around a being who is infinitely and intrinsically good. Yet, it is only in the presence of one who is uncontrollably good, we can admit our brokenness and sin. We who are enslaved to sin must present ourselves to One who is wild and good. In The Problem of Pain, Lewis wrote: "Divine goodness differs from ours, but it is not only different; it differs not as white from black, but as a perfect circle from a child's first attempt to draw a wheel. But when the child has learned to draw, it will know that the circle it then makes is what it was trying to make from the very beginning."

            When confronted by God who is uncontrollably good, fiercely loving, and infinitely merciful our only response is awe and praise. It takes time for us to overcome the shock of encountering someone who is absolutely wild yet playfully lovable. Our faith tells us that this God whom heaven and earth cannot contain, Who refuses to be caged-in by any of our pre-conceived notions, freely chose to confine Himself in Mary’s virginal womb. He Who dwells in unapproachable light descended into the realms of darkness, sin and death to give sight to those wishing to see.

            He Who is holy cannot abide sin, but He does love sinners. While we were still mired in our sin, He entered into our darkness and revealed our sins to us. Then, with unfailing love He offered to purify us of our sins by drawing us into the Fire of Divine Love. It takes my breath away to think that God looks beyond our sin and calls forth the beauty and holiness that He originally created in our souls. With unbounded and unconditional love God invites us but He does not force us to walk as Children of the Light. He is patiently awaiting our response. Having pondered His uncontrollable love for us, let us choose to love Him without measure. The prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola has always given me great comfort at such moments of decision.

Take, Lord, receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and possess.

You have given all to me.
I return them all to you, Lord.

All is yours;

Dispose of it all according to your will.
Give me nothing more than your love and your grace.
These are enough for me.