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I hear a plea for right relationships throughout today's readings. Moses calls his people, stiff-necked and implores God to “pardon their wickedness and sins.” Paul urges his readers to “greet one another with a holy kiss” and, as we hear in the first reading, calls on them to mend their ways and live in peace. These ancient ancestors buried long, long ago, cry out to us to pay attention to our relationships. John completes the circle by writing that Jesus living among us is the greatest act of God’s love for humanity, the ultimate relationship.
The commandments Moses brought down from the mountain are a template for living well and staying within God’s grace. They offer guidance for living in a family, a community, and in the world at large. The first three honor our relationship with God, and the other seven concern our relationships with each other. One leads to the other.
Loving God, following the word of God does not happen in a vacuum. It is done in a community, a family, with another. It is difficult to see how one can claim to love God and then resort to cheating, stealing or harming another human being. It does not make sense. It is confusing to see heads bowed in prayer and then screaming for war or against certain groups. It makes the words of today's readings even more meaningful.
We are meant to live in harmony, watching out for and listening to each other. We are meant to encourage each other and share a holy kiss. While we are all at some point stiff-necked, stubborn, and resistant to guidance and change, we ultimately seek the solace of human love. It is this human love that offers us a glimpse of the love God has for us, a love that is filled with mercy and is “slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.”
The words we hear in today's readings are easy to understand, yet not always easy to live by. May the God who is gracious, merciful, rich in kindness, and slow to anger inspire us all to live recognizing the preciousness of our human relationships.
Peace,
Anne
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