There is something 'ever new' about the Word of God. It is a living Word, coming to us afresh in all the different circumstances and experiences which make up our lives. The Word of God has the power to surprise us, jolt us, and transform us over and over again.
To receive this life-giving Word we have to be prepared. It is useful to reflect on the words of the Prophet Isaiah: 'Prepare a way for the Lord....make a straight highway for our God.' (Isaiah 40:3).
St. Mark used these words in speaking of the coming of Jesus. We use them, this week, to make sure that our hearts are ready to receive the Word.
This will mean making sure that our own preferences, our own convictions about how things should be, especially the things of the Church, do not get in the way of the Word who comes to us, to change us, to reshape our minds and hearts.
Change is hard. It does not come easily or naturally. We can be deeply attached, entrenched and, let us be honest, wedded to our own views, opinions and ideas about many things. Some are of little consequence; others are not. We can have views and opinions that are as stubborn as the highest mountains or the the most rugged of cliffs. The problem is that they often block our receiving the word which alone gives us true and lasing joy. When we examine our lives we see the ways that our thinking impacts on the way we related to God and others. We need courage to challenge our own thingking and God's grace to change it.
Lord, teach me to examine my life and by the grace of the Holy Spirit be tansformed by the renewal of my mind.
Courtesy of: Walk with me, www.alivepublishing.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment