Every day of Lent, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
God did everything He could to help his chosen people thrive. When things were bad, they called upon God – but they also called upon other false gods. When things were good, they tended to forget God – and enjoyed the benefits of the more raucous gods of their pagan neighbors. In good times and in bad times, Israel was a fickle nation. And so God said of them:
“This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the Lord, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.”
There is never a time in the history of any nation when it doesn’t need to set things right with God once more. We are all human, after all. We sin – as individuals and as communities of people.
Take the time today to pray for our country. Take the time to pray that national leaders will listen to God before they speak or act.
Pray for unity, which is so elusive these days, remembering the wisdom of Jesus who said: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid to waste” (Lk 11:17).
And then, commit yourself to stand with Jesus as a member of his kingdom, for Jesus says to all of us, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” May we never be against him.