Reflection for Saturday, Mar 1, 2008

Romans 9:19-29

This can be an extremely difficult passage to interpret. It has led a lot of people throughout the millennia to try and figure out who is saved (that is, receive eternal life) and who is not saved. The thing about Christianity is, if you're in for your salvation, you're missing the boat. Jesus tells us the most important thing is to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind; and to love our neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:36-40, Mk 12:28-31, Lk 10:25-37). You can't do that if you're obsessed with whether or not you're going to heaven. And if you love God SO THAT you'll go to heaven, well, that's not the point either.

There are many places in the Bible where God acts in such a way as to make people do what we all see as the wrong thing, like with the Pharaoh when Moses was trying to lead the Jews out of slavery in Egypt, mentioned by Paul earlier in this chapter. God "hardens" Pharaoh's heart. So, does that mean all the bad things we do is because God made us do it? No. Why does God act this way sometimes? We can ponder, but we will never surely know the mind of God.

What then can all this mean to me?

I believe to live in Christ is to live as much as I can in the radical compassion, forgiveness and welcome that Jesus did. I am not too concerned with WHY someone acts badly towards me, themselves, others, or society in general. I can only try to embrace the Holy Spirit and greet that person with compassion, forgiveness and welcome. Perhaps God has hardened someone's heart. Perhaps this was done so that I would have the opportunity to embrace the spirit of the living Christ by showing that person compassion.The next time someone really bugs you, try thinking that in bugging you they are providing you with an opportunity for your own spiritual growth by embracing what Jesus taught us about love, forgiveness, and acceptance.

In peace and love,

Paul Mowry