Scripture Reflection, June 21

Scripture: 11the week in Ordinary Time, Saturday, June 21, 2008: II
Chronicles 24:17-25. Psalm 89:4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34. Matthew 6:24-34.
Lectionary # 370.

The golden thread of the Hebrew Sciptures is the covenant God makes
with Israel. It is present throughout all parts of the Bible or the
Tanach. Today it is quite evident in the selection from II Chronicles and
from Psalm 89. The covenant is always a part of salvation history for
every one of us whether we realize it or not. God's love has brought us
all into life and the zest for that life in God is the experience of the
covenant in our own life and its many journeys. On the human side we often
fail by our turning away from the loving-kindness of God and by our refusal
to live out the stipulations of the covenant. This pattern is not only
yours or mine, but everyone's from the beginning of time. There is the
love of God, our acceptance of it, then our falling out of the covenant
promises on our part. Soon a return comes about and we are at peace. Of
course, not everyone experiences it this way. Some are totally unaware of
it but do live because God is the first giver of life...not cosmic
energies. Genesis 1;1 is the most profound statement about who we are and
where we originate.
Covenantal love and fidelity are always there on God's part. It is
up to us to awaken, to renew, and to return (Teshuva is both a turning to
and a conversion).In II Chronicles it is Zechariah, the son of Johoiada,
and a priest and prophet (during the reign of King Jehoash of Juda,
837-800). Zechariah courageously recalls the covenant with God. This
results in his martyrdom. This line in II Chronicles is also important for
us: "If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways; then will I hear
from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (II
Chronicles 7:14). Martin Buber has this insight into the meaning of
Tshuva..."Teshuva, return, is the name given to the act of decision in its
ultimate intensification; it denotes the decisive turning point in one's
life, the renewing, total reversal in the normal course of one's
existence."
Our Psalm (89) is about the promises of God, the Messiah, and the
covenant made with David. We see both sides of the covenant within it;
ours and God's. Fidelity on the part of God is seen throughout and also
what we are capable of in our not accepting the covenant. Fortunately,
God's love is so overwhelming that it almost forces us against our
stubborn will to return to God's love.
Jesus focuses on the providential care God has for us. We are
reminded that each day will have sufficient trials and troubles to
withstand. We are not to live in the future but in the present moment, the
present day. We hear in our listening heart, "If today, you hear his
voice, harden not your hearts." The sacramental nature and covenantal call
of the present moment is where salvation history is taking place and is
alive. This is where true zest for living emerges. Amen.