Friday, November 11, 2011

Now am Found

Memorial of St. Martin of Tours

All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God,
and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan...
--Wisdom 13:1
 
Much meditation recently on the utter lostness of the world.  Great dismay at the secular worldview that denies God's existence and humankind's place as subject to a Higher Power.  Even in the face of more perplexing, awe-inspiring scientific understanding and discovery than we've ever known, we simply make an idol of science itself and establish ourselves as masters of the universe, beholden to no moral code other than what we arbitrarily invent and impose on one another.
 
Terribly harsh, I know, and perhaps overstated.  And who am I to express such disgust?  Me, a child of this age myself, prone to as much self-indulgence as anyone?  And the record of those who adhere to more traditional worldviews is no less impressive when it comes to kindness, justice, and mercy.
 
We are all lost, then.  And we can spend lots of time wringing our hands over the tragedy of it all, but I don't think that's what our Creator intends.  We are not made for judgment, pity, and shame.  We are made for praise, glory, and love.  The discovery of our lostness serves no purpose other than to reveal that we are, ultimately, found.  In the crazy economy of God's kingdom, we are loved infinitely, with no regard for our ignorance and brokenness, and in complete irrelevance to our incapacity to love in return.
 
No, no time for judgment, pity, and shame.  And no point.  There is too much praise and joy to share.  There is too much love to glory in.
 
Holy One, you are revealed to us in countless ways.  May we waste not one more moment in ignorance of your boundless love.  Amen.

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