Struggles with God

~~~ Genesis 32:23-33 ~~~ Psalm 17 ~~~ Matthew 9:32-38 ~~~

...I have seen God face to face,” he said,

“yet my life has been spared.”

Jacob finds himself alone in a physical battle

 with the messenger of God.

Jacob had not anticipated this struggle.

The one with whom he fought

 made Jacob that much stronger.

...you have contended with divine and human beings

and have prevailed.

Jacob, however, did not emerge unharmed.

His hip was dislocated leaving him with a painful limp.

We too struggle with God, but most of the time we do not 

know it is God with whom we struggle.

We struggle with God in our head.

We argue with him about our life situations.

We struggle with God in our heart.

We resist his invitation to follow him in times

 of loneliness and disappointment.

We physically struggle with God...

missing Mass...not coming to God with our needs.

During the battle Jacob's name is changed to Israel.

Israel means, one who fought with the divine...God.

Following the battle Jacob called the place Peniel,

which means "the face of God".

I imagine we all struggle with God at different times of our lives.

Perhaps we struggle just to make ourselves feel better...

Perhaps we struggle with God because we are frustrated with life...

Perhaps we struggle with God because he permits it.

Perhaps the struggle itself draws us closer to God.

God left his mark on Jacob even as he let him prevail.

The Lord Blesses us in our struggles with him.

~~~Peace~~~

Get Up...Keep Going

~~~ Numbers 21:4-9 ~~~Psalm 102 ~~~ John 8:21-30 ~~~

Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

We are no different than the people who followed Moses.

We too get weary with our life journey.

We get frustrated and rebel in our own way against God.

Sometimes we expect more from God.

We are like spoiled little children 

whining about not getting our way.

So God sent serpents to bite the people

 in response to their grumbling.

We have the numerous temptations of our world.

We are constantly bombarded with attractive 

opportunities to turn away from God...to sin.

Moses did as God instructed, made a bronze serpent

and mounted it high upon a pole.

All who gazed upon it lived.

Do you see any parallel here with Jesus?

Jesus was raised upon the cross so that we may have life.

Our life is not life in this world, 

but rather life in the next.

Looking upon the cross is the reality of our sinfulness.

It appears that Jesus is alone hanging on the cross,

but the Father is with him.

It is the Father that gives him the necessary 

strength to complete the journey.

...The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him.

While we may not say that we 'always'

do what is pleasing to God,

but what we can say it that God is always with us.

He will never leave us alone.

We chose to walk away from him in our frustrations.

It is our frustrations with life that cause us 

to enter into the darkness of sin.

If we were to be more accepting 

of just what has been freely given to us

what could possibly frustrate us?

Jesus showed us how to triumph over our frustrations.

He fell three times while carrying the cross to Calvary.

Every time he got up and took another step forward.

He could have easily become frustrated and slumped to the ground.

Jesus had the assurance and conviction that he was not alone.

I pray that our conviction and assurance of God's presence

 with grow with each passing day.

Blessed to have the Crucifix as a reminder.

Get up.

Do not be frustrated.

Keep going.

Try and try again.

Look intently upon the Crucifix.

 Although we are 'bitten' we will have life eternal.

Peace

as our Lenten journey continues.