Fr. Don's Daily Reflection
“Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). You probably hear this most often at weddings where couples see in Ruth's declaration to her mother-in-law Naomi and her God a good statement of their own commitment to each other. Naomi has lost both husband and sons, leaving her bereft in a foreign land; hearing things are better back in Judah she decides she must go there. Ruth's words then follow. Ruth's dedication is first of all to Naomi and then to Naomi's God.
Doesn't that reflect the way things usually go? We come to God, we come to understand faithfulness, loyalty, responsibility, commitment, love, first of all through our attachment to some person. In fact, to get back to the wedding, aren't husband and wife supposed to mirror for each other the lasting love and faithfulness of God? Don't most of us learn of these matters through other people, friends, those we love and who love us?
Other people, Ruth's commitment tells us, are so important to us and, vice versa, we are so important to others' faith and hope, whether we realize it or not. It's another way of reminding ourselves that our faith, hope and love are intrinsically bound up with others. We don't come to God in some disembodied manner but through what we know of relationship from friends. We depend on each other; we influence each other; we support each other -- or, on the other hand, discourage or weaken each other. Someone somewhere is dependent on us for encouragement, inspiration, help, whether in word or example. United to Christ we can be other Christs to our world, to each other.