Often times I have heard or read that the bible has no use in today's society, that it was written centuries ago for people of a different time and has no relevance today. The readings of the past few days blow that theory right out of the water as we read about the persecutions that were inflicted on the Jewish people even before the birth of Christ. In the past few years, I have really begun to pay close attention to the readings at mass, even to read them before mass so that during the Liturgy of the Word I could meditate more deeply on God's message to me.
This time of year, as the Church year comes to a close before Advent, the Church focuses attention on the end of days. In her wisdom, the Church recognizes the importance of looking forward and anticipating where we will be on Judgment Day... where will we be sent? And the reason for this is that today, as long as we are breathing and our heart is beating, it is not too late to change our ways to stack the deck in favor of us going to heaven, or at least to purgatory. In a "Christmas Carol"-like manner, we are given the opportunity to look at our lives, where we have been, where we are, where we are headed and make the appropriate changes, but with the help of priests and religious hopefully, not with ghosts!! The readings at mass reflect the Church's mission and when you attend mass daily or read the readings of the mass each day, you can easily see the wisdom and relevance of the bible today.
Over the past few days, we have been reading from the Book of Maccabees. This has been the week's succession...
Monday: 1Macabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Synopsis: Antiochus Epiphanes becomes king and is seduced by some evil people to destroy the covenants with God, to turn his back on his religion and to cunningly encourage his people to do the same. Many in Israel begin to turn away from God and worship idols, destroy scrolls of the faith and sell themselves into wrong doing. This transformation of evil is done in such a seductive, sly manner that people do not even realize it is wrong. Those who opposed this transformation were threatened, but many preferred to die than to turn their backs on the Lord.
Tuesday: 2Macabees 6:18-31
Synopsis: Eleazar, one of the elder scribes is being forced to eat meat forbidden to his faith. Rather than succomb, he decides to stand firm in his promises to the Lord. He is even given a way out by some of the guards who like him... sneak in meat you can eat and pretend it is pork, then you will be saved. Eleazar however realizes that not only would he be turning his back on the Lord by lying and giving into hypocrasy, he also is thinking about how this action would affect the youth who are tuned into the happenings. He would be leading them into a life of lying or worse, so he remains firm in his faith and is killed, along with many others, for not following the king.
Wednesday: 2Macabees 7:1, 20-31
Synopsis: A mother and her seven sons are on trial for refusing to deny their God. In succession, each son is killed by order of the king after pledging allegegiance to the One True God. The passages between today's reading, verses 2 through 19 are very detailed as to how each son was killed... too detailed for my sensitive heart, although I do remember hearing it read at mass one Sunday quite a few years ago... that is a testiment to how descriptive the reading is, usually on Tuesday I cannot remember the weekend's Gospel!! But this passage from 2Macabees shows how horrible the times were then for the Jewish people who remained faithful to their God.
Let's see now... people being forced to turn their backs on their faith to appease a corrupt ruler, good and honest people being seduced to evil in cunning and attractive ways, faith-filled people being killed for their religion... no relevance in today's world... are you kidding?
The first connection my brain made with these readings and our world today was the abominable attack by Isis in France, and memories of our country's own attack 14 years ago. My heart bleeds for the French people, all of the loss they have suffered and the fear they must be living in. But then I began thinking of how many terrorist groups use the internet to seduce young innocents to join their misguided, evil cause. Next, I thought of the health care plan created by President Obama and the loss of religious freedoms in America. But you could go on throughout our history as a species and find many travisites that have occurred that mirror these horrid biblical events.
We call our modern world "enlightened," we believe we are smarter than our ancestors with all of our gadgets and gizmos that appear to simplify our lives and make us more intelligent, but the truth is that while the physical world has changed much since the book of Macabees was written, human beings and our war between good and evil has not. That is why the bible has such strong relevance today. That is why we can prayerfully open our bibles and find answers that help us live in today's world. That is why each one of us should take the time to read our bibles for answers, guidance, support and hope.
Our God loves us and wants to communicate with us. He has not forgotten us, has not turned His back on us... He has given us a tool through which He speaks to us. And just like walking and texting at the same time (which I cannot do, by the way), using the Bible as a means to communicate with God takes time and practice.
This is how I use it... please keep in mind that I am a total amateur and sort of a novice at this, and with time you will find your own way to pray using the Bible...
First, I close my eyes and put myself in the presence of the Lord. I praise God and ask Him to speak to me through His Holy Word, assuring Him that I will accept the answer He gives, even if it's not the one I'm looking for. Then I sit for a few minutes and think about what is foremost on my mind.
Next, with my eyes still closed, I open my Bible and begin reading at the first place my eyes touch. I read until something strikes me, usually it doesn't take long. Many times the asnwer I am seeking is in the first few lines I read. After reading it over a few times, I close my eyes again and meditate on what I read and how it relates to my life, to my problems. Last, I give thanks to God for taking the time to work within me, to console and answer me.
Even though sometimes it seems like it, it is not magic or a trick, but almost every time I have approached reading the Bible in this manner, I have received the anwer I was looking for. God longs for us to turn to Him. How many times do we read in the psalms at mass about calling out to the Lord, about the Lord answering my plea, about giving thanks to the Lord for coming to my aid. Well, this is one way that He does it.
You may be wondering why I am writing about this in my missionary blog... Well, it was my decision, after being invited by the Oikos Sisters, to come to the Philippines, and to come for a long time, 6 months, alone. Unlike my other mission trips, this one differes greatly because, having no missionary counterpart, I have no one to vent to really, no one to comiserate with me or who really understands the hardships of going from the first world to the third right here with me. There is no one familiar with me to really open my heart to and let it cry a little... or a lot. That is why I have turned to God for my venting partner, my sounding board and for little pick-me-ups and strength. And He has come through for me... amazingly. I know He will for you too.
I believe this is how we truly become enlightened... literally and figuatively. This is how we become saved! xxoo
