RENEWsletter for July 25, 2010 - 17th Ordinary

Hello Renewers--
Well, the summer is flying by. Can it be the end of July already? Everyone has been flying away on this vacation or that visit. Relatives are coming and going. And many relatives will be arriving next month to attend Sally’s and my wedding in a little over 3 weeks. Then we’ll be floating away on a cruise up the Alaskan coast for our honeymoon! The sun is shining, the land is green, the sky is blue. I imagine the sun was shining when Abraham encountered the messengers of God on their way to find out what was going on in Sodom. So let's be on our way to find out what’s going on in the readings this week.

The readings for this Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time are found on the web at http://www.usccb.org/nab/072510.shtml and in your Bible at:

Genesis 18.20-32
Psalm 138.1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
Colossians 2.12-14
Luke 11.1-13

The First Reading is the famous story of when Abraham bargained with God. The Lord was off to judge Sodom, and Abraham knew full well what the people there were like. His nephew, Lot, lived there, so he must have got regular reports of debauchery, crime, alcohol, drugs., prostitution, violence of all sorts... Abraham knew what the Lord would find. And so he persistently pleaded with the Lord to spare the whole city for the sake of a few. Fewer and fewer and fewer! You notice, God didn't complain or whine or even roll his eyeballs (Gen 18.26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32). His beloved Abraham was asking for a "fish", and he wasn't about to give him a "serpent".

This is a good segue into the Gospel Reading, so we'll take the readings out of order this time. Luke gives us first the small economy model Lord's Prayer (Luke 11.2-4) then illustrates that it isn't wordiness or eloquence or cleverness that moves the Lord, but persistence. What father would deny his son when he asks for food? What God would deny his children when they ask for help? (v. 13)

And that is a good segue into the Responsorial Psalm which fits in with the theme of God's love and patience with his children. When has there been a day when you called on the name of the Lord for help, and he didn't answer? "When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me" (Ps 138.3).

I can envision a scene in heaven where Jesus is pleading with his Father to spare the world. "What if there are 50 righteous people on earth?" says Jesus.

"I will not destroy the earth for the sake of 50 righteous," the Father responds.

"What if there are only 10 righteous?" Jesus persists.

"I will not destroy it for the sake of the 10," the Father concedes.

"What if there is only 1 righteous person on earth?"

"I will not destroy it for the sake of one righteous person, but you know what? 'There is none righteous, no, not one!' (Romans 3.10)"

"Then I will be that righteous person!" said Jesus and he humbled himself to take on human flesh.

And what of today? Christ has lived, died, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven. Why is not the earth destroyed now? Perhaps a clue is in the Second Reading. "You were buried with him in baptism... and he brought you to life... having forgiven us all our transgressions..." (Col 2.12-13). We are the righteous, through the work of Jesus Christ, for whose sake the world is not destroyed. We are the 10 righteous people in Sodom... not righteous because of anything we have done, but only through the work of Christ on the Cross.

All our transgressions are continually forgiven by God the Father. We are answered when we call upon the Lord. Because of Christ, the world is not destroyed. There's still time to reach our lost, unrighteous neighbor with the Good News of God's love for them. Think of this each time you recite the Lord's Prayer...

And have a great week.

Randy Jones
"Those who do not care say, Go ahead and destroy them!"