Persistence and Blaming God

Part 1: The Scripture Readings

✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
✠ - make the Sign of the Cross

A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians.
    You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?
Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish?
    After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of merely human effort? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?
    So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
The Word of the Lord. [ALL] Thanks be to God.

The Gospel
    A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. At that time, Jesus said to his disciples, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to offer him.' And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'
    I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him the bread because of friendship, yet because of his shameless audacity* he will surely get up and give him as much as he needs.
    So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
    Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
* The one knocking

The Gospel of the Lord. [ALL] ✠ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Part 2: Reflection
Lesson One – Persistent Faith
     Reflecting on this Gospel, I want to pause for a moment on how Jesus presents the Father. There is a specific phrase that always strikes me: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts, how much more will your heavenly Father."
     Have you ever noticed how we sometimes act as if we are better or kinder than God? Even in our broken human nature, we are capable of profound forgiveness. Think about a parent, one that is capable of opening the door for a child who has offended him, lied to him, or deeply hurt him. Even if they return after years away, bringing a spouse and children in tow, a parent’s door opens.
    We forgive, we help, and we welcome them back.
     So why do we so easily assume that God won't do the same? It breaks my heart when we believe we are more merciful than the Creator.
    If you, as a mother or father, can welcome back a child who made terrible mistakes, do you imagine that you are better than God?
     No.
     God does the exact same thing. He only asks for one thing: that we return to Him.
    That is where perseverance comes in. We have to keep knocking, keep asking, and keep insisting. If you have loved ones at home who refuse to draw near to God, don't despair. If they won't go to Him, you go to Him on their behalf. Bring them to Him in prayer. Remember, God looks at our collective faith, and not just our individual faith – or lack of it.
    Think of the paralytic in the Gospels—he didn't get to Jesus on his own. Four friends carried him. And the Scripture notes that Jesus healed the man when He saw their faith and persistence. In case this reference is unkown to you, or needs refreshing, lets examine it.

Healing of The Paralytic Man
    This refers to a well-known miracle of Jesus found in the Synoptic Gospels of Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26.
     Jesus was preaching inside a house in Capernaum, and the crowd was so densely packed, inside and out, that no one else could fit inside or even get near the door.
    Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed friend on a sleeping mat, desperate to get him to Jesus for healing. Because the crowd blocked their path, they took extreme measures...
- They climbed onto the roof of the house
- They tore open and dug through the roof tiles above where Jesus was standing
- They lowered the paralyzed man down on his mat right into the middle of the room in front of Jesus

The Theological Significance
     The scripture specifically highlights the phrase, "When Jesus saw their faith...". In the biblical text, Jesus does not immediately evaluate the faith of the paralyzed man himself.
    Instead, He recognizes the collective, active, and persistent faith of the four friends who refused to let obstacles stop them. Because of their faith, Jesus forgives the man's sins and physically heals him, telling him to pick up his mat and walk home.

    Our job, then, is to insist and never doubt.
To doubt God's mercy is to assume we have a bigger heart than He does, and that simply isn't true.

Lesson 2 – The Blame Game
     This brings us to a second lesson: why do we blame God for everything bad that happens to us?
     How often do we hear others, or even ourselves, say....
"God is testing me."
"This is a punishment from God."
 "If God is so great, why is there suffering?..."
     Do you honestly think God delights in watching you or others suffer? How arrogant!
     Ask yourself: if you are a parent, would you wake up in the morning and wish a car accident or a targeted tragedy on your child just to teach them a lesson? Of course not.
    If you did, it would be monstrous. So why do we project that onto God? God gives good things.
    However, we are broken creatures who do live in a broken, fragile world. We face the consequences of much human evil and error, poor choices made, illnesses, natural disasters, hardships, and so on. Getting sick, losing a job during corporate layoffs, or experiencing a tragedy happens to all of humanity — believers and non-believers alike. God is not a monster orchestrating human misery and punishment from a distance. That concept has no place in the heart of Love.
     So why do we think this way? Because we are broken human beings and it is human nature to easily point fingers, but harder to take responsibility. We live in a broken world where bad things happen, but God doesn't manipulate them to watch us suffer.... our self-centered ego thinks that.
     We live in a world where painful things happen, but from God, only blessing and grace flow. We must persevere with Him because He provides all goodness, along with the strength to endure the hardships that don't come from Him.
   
Closing & Blessing
    No matter what you are facing, let Him be your light in the middle of it. 
✠ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
✠ May almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain with you always.