February 15/Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Blessed are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. ~ Ps 1.1-2
“When will we get there?” On the annual summer car trek from New England to the coastal Southeast when our kids were young, my husband and I fielded this question countless times – as did generations of parents, at least until the advent of ubiquitous personal screens distracted restless passengers and numbed the pain of long trips. When it comes to the earthly trek of faith, of course, we never quite “get there.” There is no set point at which one masters the Christian life, no moment at which we can say with certainty, “I’ve arrived!” As the psalmist knows, the life of a seeker of God is one of daily striving, not definitive accomplishment. Every day, we can choose to follow the counsel of the wicked and walk in the way of sinners — cutting a corner here, telling a self-serving lie there, ignoring the suffering around us. Every day we have opportunities to sit in the company of the insolent — diving into social media snark, smirking at the earnest or idealistic, mocking from the sidelines at the safe distance irony grants. But we also have the chance to ground our lives in God, to “meditate on the instruction of the LORD day and night” — by praying in the morning and evening, by being mindful of the presence of God throughout the hours, by perusing the Bible and spiritual texts that lift our souls. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “With God one does not arrive at a fixed position; rather, one walks along a way. . . God knows the whole way; we only know the next step and the final goal.” Over these next 40 days may we turn aside from anything that separates us from the love of God, and instead walk, trustingly, in His way.
O God, Master of all living things, Help me to follow your way, your truth, and your life in every step I take, today and forever. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021524.cfm
To hear The Melodies of Faith sing “Walking Up the King’s Highway,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi8oaJMy9LU
