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

Asking God for a Sign

My brothers, consider it a great joy when trials of many kinds come upon you, ³ for you well know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, and ⁴ perseverance must complete its work so that you are become fully developed, complete, not deficient in any way. ⁵ Any of you who lacks wisdom must ask God, who gives to all generously and without scolding; it will be given.

⁶ But the prayer must be made with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like the waves thrown up in the sea by the buffeting of the wind. ⁷ That sort of person, in two minds,

⁸ inconsistent in every activity, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. (James 1: 1-8)

¹¹ The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with him; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to put him to the test. ¹² And with a profound sigh he said, 'Why does this generation demand a sign? In truth I tell you, no sign shall be given to this generation.' (Mark 8: 11-12)

No sign will be given to this generation. What was the big deal about the Pharisees asking for a sign? The big deal was that they had already received so many signs and one more was not going to matter. This Gospel is in Chapter 8 of Mark’s Gospel. Before we read this Gospel, Jesus had cast out unclean spirits, made a deaf man hear and speak, healed many people with various diseases including leprosy and paralysis, restored a man’s withered and, and multiplied the loaves and the fishes. What more could the Pharisees be looking for? They had received many signs from the Lord. They did not want to see them. No matter what God did, it was not going to matter.

The Pharisees were trying to find a way around the truth. They got mad because Jesus healed a withered hand on the Sabbath, but it was okay to plot to kill him on the Sabbath. Jesus is frustrated with the Pharisees. They were not looking to be open to Jesus. They were testing Jesus. Push him, push him, see how far he will go

Sometimes we test God. We say to the Lord, “Okay, Lord, just one more sign. Just one more sign and I will do what you want. Just let me know for sure that it’s You.”

Are you waiting to know for sure, or are you hoping God won’t answer the way he was answering before? We ask God for a particular direction in life, and we keep on seeing coincidences. Oh, that was a coincidence. Oh there’s another coincidence. And that’s another coincidence. Are these all coincidences? Might God be giving you the signs that you are asking for, and you keep asking for more? Are you truly seeking an answer or do you want God to tell you what you want to hear?

Is it fear, or insecurity, that makes you not accept the signs that God is giving you? Is your brokenness not allowing you to be receptive to what God is saying? Perhaps the battle scares you. St. James acknowledges that it is difficult to follow the Lord. He talks about trials. Trials? You mean there are going to be trials? Were you thinking that following Jesus was not going to be difficult?

He talks about testing of the faith that brings perseverance. Testing? Why testing? Are you afraid to be tested?

You mean I have to work for my salvation? That following Jesus is not an escalator ride? You mean I’m going to have to do battle with myself? That scares me! The struggle and what it requires of me scares me. Why? Because my heart is not yet formed to love. I am not ready to burst forth with the gift of myself.

We have to die to things in our own lives. We need to persevere on those tests of faith that come to us. The Lord will provide the perseverance. St. James says that we must be “fully developed, complete, not deficient in any way.” How do we achieve this? Through perseverance.

 To compete in the Olympics, the contestants must endure many trials and have great perseverance. It is in the perseverance that the gold medals are won. This is the same with virtue. Virtue is not built at the end of the battle, but it is built in the fight, in encountering trials and persevering through trust.

When it is toughest to love, that is when love is built. Love is tested through trials and perseverance. When I marry couples, I tell them that I hope that, when they celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary, they don’t love each other as much as they do on their marriage day. I tell them that I want them to love each other much more because then they will have gone through the trials and struggles their marriage will bring, and they will bear the battle scars of life and the wrinkles of a love that persevered and became perfected and drew strength and power from the times they were together. This is true love. Love is fostered in the fight, not fighting with one another but fighting the battle of life.

If we are scared of the battle, of perseverance, afraid of our weaknesses, we have to come to God and trust. We trust that God will not let us fall. He will be there. We need to have faith in God who loves us. Remember that His Holy Will is to do good for us. What reply can we give to Divine Love except to love back? If I keep asking questions, asking God for signs, then I don’t have to reply to Divine Love, do I? I am waiting for answers.

How do I make an answer to Divine Love? How do I make myself Love’s Reply? Can it be anything less than the fullness of love returned? When I hear the voice of God, I need to respond even though I am facing a future that will have trials and battles, a future that will require perseverance and testing. God will give me the grace to reply to His Love, to listen to His Holy Will, to remove anything that keeps me from Love’s Reply. What about this? What about that? Will I have the strength? Will I have the courage? What if I fail? What if I mess up? Questions. Doubts.

Just reply to God in love. God has taken care of all those things. Trust him with your future because God loves you.

--Transcribed as best as possible from a homily by Father David Mary Engo, FBM