St. Benedict Sees All of Life in a Ray of Light

Covenant

Feb 19 Mass reading Dt 26:16-19
Moses spoke to the people, saying:"This day the LORD, your God, commands you to observe these statutes and decrees. Be careful, then, to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised."

I have just been thinking about the rainbow as a sign of covenant. A promise of God and of the people. A bridge between the earth and the heavens. A connection with salvation, beauty and hope. "He is to be your God and you are to walk in His ways..."

Tonight at the university, there was a Native American author who is a medicine man. He spoke of the rainbow as his name which has a sound that travels and connects the length of the bow. He told of wishing to climb a rainbow as a child. Another rainbow story was about a special arrow that was carried in case of trouble, it was aimed at the village. It would return to a spot that the medicine man of the village could see and the bow would help bring the arrow sender safely home.

I believe that under all our stories that there are ancient common bonds. I believe that there is one God who dearly loves us all and tends to each of those who are loving and walk the paths of God. There is something to learn from every religion and from every person. We are meant to be merciful and giving and healing to each other. The rainbow is a reminder to me of the awesome beauty and love of God and promise of salvation if I walk in God's ways.

Feb 2005 photo

Feb 18, 2005

Feb 18, 2005 The First Friday of Lent Ezekiel 18:21-23
But if the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed,
respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die.
All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practiced. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man-it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks-and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?

Again a reading in Lent about returning to God. God takes delight in those who love Him and follow His ways. I suppose the hard part for me at times is to sort out if what I am doing is mistaken and false or true and faithful. The waters of this discernment can be muddy. The time of prayer and lectio and walking with God in nature in silence help me to more clearly see.