Tuesday in the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time at Mississippi Abbey

Jeremiah says, “Let my eyes stream with tears…over the destruction…” of my original innocence. “We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness…” “For your names sake, remember your covenant.” “Is it not you alone O Lord” who can save us?      

It is a great spiritual asset to—like Jeremiah and his people—experience desperation. We experience that when a life given to only the agreeable stops working and we turn to a God whose way of life doesn’t seem very attractive…but the people who live it are happy.          

“Desperation” does not necessarily mean one has lived a life of debauchery. It is prompted in some measure simply by life based on unsatisfied demands. And it thus means acute awareness of one’s personal powerlessness. God is first and foremost a power.         

We ask God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. And because the Christian life is so very altruistic, our asking is occasioned by a dilemma, but motivated by a desire for God to show His glory by His display of power.        

When He displays that power, and we experience it (the experience of contrast, of “before and after”) our hearts are converted. His power, His favor has made a difference and so it becomes important.  We center our lives on it.        

Our love for God follows as a response to His prior love for us. Sometimes desperation makes that happen.