Like it or not, we constantly make choices that take us somewhere. It is estimated that the average adult makes upwards of 35,000 remotely conscious decisions every day. These choices all have consequences. They lead us to our destinations, whether we know it or not. In the first reading, we hear about how the choices of God’s people slowly turned them away from God. Although He tried to turn them back by sending messengers and prophets, they chose not to listen to them. Instead, they “added infidelity to infidelity,” which eventually led to their enemies burning down the temple and dragging them away into captivity in Babylon. Our choices can lead us, little by little, away from God and into the “captivity” of many earthly powers, such as greed, envy, drugs, alcohol, gambling, overeating, shopping, sexual pleasure, etc. All leave us empty and despairing.
Thankfully, God is always steadfast in His choice to never abandon us. Just as King Cyrus called ancient Israel out of captivity and back to Jerusalem, God calls us back to His light of truth and mercy to begin building the temple of His love anew. However, as Jesus points out in the Gospel, we must choose light over darkness. That’s the opportunity of our Lenten journey. To determine the grace of God’s love, first, we need to choose to become aware of where our choices have brought us. Can all my works “be clearly seen as done in God,” or would I prefer that some of my “works might not be exposed?”
We all have a mix of good, bad, darkness, and light in our choices. No matter how far astray our choices have led us, God’s mercy calls us back. As our Lenten reflections make us aware of the darkness and despair that some of our choices have led us into, God begs us to make the critical choice to put our faith in His saving grace. The second reading tells us that “by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.” Knowing that we cannot save ourselves from darkness and sin, Jesus came and died to take them away. Because of this saving gift of love, we don’t have to remain in the emptiness and despair of sin. We can continue in darkness and despair or choose to accept His gift, turn away from our sinful choices, and begin again by living in the grace of Jesus Christ, which will bring us to true Easter joy. But make no mistake, we have to choose.
Fr. Chris
