The Lion of Israel

 A passage taken from the Book of the Prophet Amos brought to mind images of Aslan and Narnia. The profession of faith recounted in Deuteronomy is very straightforward. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is One” (Deut. 6:4). The one God is the Lion of Israel. When His roars, who will not be afraid?

Despite our egalitarian approach to life, we are not God’s equals and we cannot domesticate the Lion of Israel. We live in His kingdom by His grace and benevolent will. This can prove disconcerting in a “feel good” society.

Some of us may remember Mr. Beaver telling Lucy “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you”

The Lion of Israel is ferocious, not safe, but at the same time He is good, because as Saint John wrote, “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8). “Let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 JN. 4:7). To love God is to be willing to take risks, because love is not safe. Divine love does not ignore sin, but allows for mercy. Love isn’t safe, but it is good and seeks the truth.

“The lion roars – who will not be afraid?” The Psalmist wrote, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Ps. 14:1). Since there is no God, the individual considers himself free to do whatever he or she wills.

We seem to keep forgetting that God does not need our belief in Him for Him to exist. The ancients knew this and celebrated it in their liturgical songs. “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered. May His foes flee before Him. May He blow them away like smoke – as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God” (Ps. 68: 1-2).

With all His might, God protects all that is His own. As we read in the Gospel of Saint John, “I give them eternal life, and they will never be lost; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (Jn. 10: 28-29). God not only speaks words of love, but He also has the power to save all those He has made His own.

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).

 When the Lion of Israel roars we have no reason to fear. While He may not be safe, He is good and loving. Certainly the Prophet Isaiah understood this. “The right arm of the Lord is not too weak to save, not His ear deaf to hear” (Is. 59:1).

The Lion of Israel is on the prowl, looking for someone He can free from slavery to the world and claim as His very own. The Lion of Israel is not tame, nor can He be domesticated, yet He roars with the inexpressible fullness of Love.

 While the circumstances may differ, each of us is called to have faith and trust in the Lord. When we hear the roar of the Lion of Israel, let us kneel before Him in humble adoration. True life begins when we stop living for safety and start risking self-sacrificing love.

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO

Objects of God's Ferocious Love

Several times, I have mentioned Aslan in a homily. Some people were taken aback that I should present such a ferocious image of God as this lion from the Tales of Narnia.

At the risk of repeating myself, God is not a household pet. He cannot be caged or domesticated. He is the God of glory and majesty and He loves us.

We read in the Gospel of John: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (Jn. 3: 16-17).

It takes strength of will and self-mastery to forgive. Only a God of power and might can take our deformed nature and reshape it in the grandeur He intended from the beginning of time.

It takes great love to recreate us in His image and likeness without destroying us. It takes child-like trust to place ourselves in the powerful hands of the Potter Who desires to shape us into vessels capable of containing His Spirit.

The purpose of the image is not to frighten us but to remind us that we are the objects of God’s undying and ferocious love.

It is with this ferocious lover that Abraham is haggling for the lives of the people in the condemned city of Sodom. Remember that. Knowing that we are loved we can take to risk of making demands of the One who loves us.

Abraham is imposing upon one who accepted his hospitality.

Abraham is haggling with one who allowed him to wash his feet.

Abraham is seeking clarity from one who accompanied him on his journey.

That is not a bad context for heartfelt prayer.

The story of Abraham mirrors ours in many ways. God comes into our lives, uninvited. He is willing to accept whatever we are willing to offer in the way of hospitality. Then He takes us with Him as moves on. The ferocious and infinite love of God allows us to connect with members of the Blessed Trinity, for to grow is love of all whom He loves and to pour ourselves out in serve of those He sends our way.

Having grown up in an old ethnic neighborhood, I find it easier than some to imagine the passage of time. When I was growing up, someone was always running to a neighbor to get a cup of sugar. There was always someone ready to offer a helping hand when you were in need and you never imagined being sent away empty-handed.

No doubt, this is what Jesus had in mind when he told the parable. “Imagine going to a friend at midnight because a surprise visitor has come from out of town and your cupboard is bare. Hospitality demands that the visitor has to be fed." Breaking bread with a guest is a sign of sharing life. As Jesus is telling the story, you can almost hear the pounding on the door and the grumbling from inside the house. Yet Jesus keeps building the dramatic tension. This request goes beyond self-respect; it goes to the heart honor and community identity. Anyone who could was expected to help. Being refused in a time of need would be unthinkable.

On one side of the door is pounding and loud cries for help. On the other, growls of protest and threats of reprisal. The parable seems to be a long drawn out question: Would you expect a friend to refuse you in your time of need? Of course, the answer is NO! And so the pounding and begging gets louder and louder, until the door opens.

 As to a trusted friend, we turn to the Lion of Israel in our times of need. Because He has a ferocious love for us, we can be confident that God will give us whatever we need. Through the parable, Jesus is encouraging us to express our trust in God’s ferocious love. Like the neighbor in need, we should not get discouraged or give up. We need to remember Jesus’ words: “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you” (Lk 11:9).

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO

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.