Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - March 30, 2025
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from You.”
If we've ever tried to read the Bible straight through from beginning to end, the third book has probably been an almost insurmountable obstacle. “All teeming winged creatures that go on four legs shall be vermin to you, except those which have legs jointed above their feet for leaping on the ground” (11:20), and “When any animal allowed as food dies, all that touch the carcass shall be unclean till evening. Whoever eats any of the carcass shall wash his clothes but remain unclean till evening” (11:39).
The regulations in the book seem quite meaningless and some even barbaric. Is there some purpose in this material that can be related to our beliefs? A central belief of both the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian is that God is always present, in fact that God is lovingly present. God cares for us. Much of the Old Testament celebrates the Israelites' conviction about that. The minute regulations with which Leviticus is concerned may have been meant as ways the Israelites kept in mind God's presence. (I’m sure someone has come up with other and possibly better solutions.)
We do the same with Mass or worship, with the sacraments and prayer at particular moments, with the sign of the cross, with music. And any of these can become lifeless and mechanical, as irrelevant as a detail from Leviticus. Isn't this one reason that so many young people find our rites and worship so meaningless? Each generation needs to make variations on these, but all of us must somehow celebrate the caring presence of God. Without forcing our ways of doing this on others, can't we encourage new ways of recalling that God is with us always?
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
