Awe is the Divine Will

Greetings on this the Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Gn 21:5, 8-20a; Ps 34:7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Mt 8:28-34
Notes: Unpacking sacred Scripture is necessary in order to appreciate the love of G-d.

We are often caught between the the two basic principles concerning the will of G-d.

Perfect Will – The Divine Plan for your life.
Permissive Will – Divine allowance for what is not His will (permitted not willed).

• Related to our vision is the phrase: Visible (seeable) and Invisible (impossible to see). We simply cannot see some things and in other cases we cannot see because we aren’t there or refuse to see it.
• Related to our understanding is the reality that the perfect will and permissive will interplay with the multiple human wills in the dialog as to make a intelligible narrative.
• We have to sit with the text in order to appreciate what G-d is saying in between what the people are saying.

If we read through the first reading and gospel portion today with an eye to the perfect will of G-d we can see it most clearly.

But God said to Abraham: “Do not be distressed about the boy or about your slave woman. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a great nation of him also, since he too is your offspring.” [Later] Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink. God was with the boy as he grew up.

The simplicity of the narrative must be taken into the context of all the difficult and distressing events of Abraham’s life (The stories of his nephew Lot is a good example). The Lord will not abandon Hagar and Ishmael. He loves them and will make a good life for them. But separating them from Sarah is a wise move given the obvious problems that have arisen (Did not Abraham separate from Lot and his herdsmen previously?)

In the gospel portion, the deeper meaning. No commercial enterprise and no animal herd is worthy of a single human life.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matt 10:29-31).

Jesus allows: The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned.

You are worth more than many sparrows.

We have an argumentative will. FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram is filled with exaggeration, feigned indignation, feigned ignorance and simplistic lines of reasoning. This is the human condition. The temptation of ‘whataboutism’ makes one unable to see the divine will while obsessing on the human wills which are clearly not favorably expressed.

The people of the territory of the Gadarenes were unable to realize the miracle performed for one of their own. The defeat of demonic forces!

The gospel of Mark version is more detailed.

As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district (Mk 5:15-17).

Eventually they are able to hear Jesus (Mk 7:31 forward).

First Reading
Abraham was greatly distressed, especially on account of his son Ishmael. But God said to Abraham: “Do not be distressed about the boy or about your slave woman.

Responsorial
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Gospel Acclamation
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Gospel
The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.

What a mistake! Fear of G-d and fear of G-d (awe) are two different things!

Awe is the Divine Will for us.

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry