Early in the decade of the 90’s, I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease. I remember the day that the doctor gave me the news as if it were yesterday. He explained that 30% of those who experienced the disease in one inner ear would eventually find it present in the second ear as well. Surgical intervention was an option, but it might leave one totally deaf. The day’s news was devastating.
Ever since that day, the Scriptures have taken on a completely different perspective. I was nineteen when I was invested with the Franciscan habit. I can remember my teenage mentality as I prayed the psalms in the chapel with the other young friars, psalms that are, for the most part, lamentations. Because I was still a teenager, I sometimes found it difficult to pray the psalms which bemoaned the life situation of the psalmist or which entreated God to rescue him/her from some evil. It simply was not part of my life’s experience. However, ever since the doctor gave me the diagnosis of Meniere’s Disease, I have found myself reading and praying with the Scriptures differently. Now I am beginning to understand where the psalmist is coming from.
These thoughts ran through my mind this morning as I read the first reading from today’s liturgy from the Book of Sirach. This wise man is counseling the younger men of his community to stand steadfast in their faith no matter what evil may befall them:
“My son, when you come to serve the LORD, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, incline your ear and receive the word of understanding, undisturbed in time of adversity. Wait on God, with patience, cling to him, forsake him not; thus will you be wise in all your ways” (Sirach 2:1-2).
As the reading continues, Sirach poses several rhetorical questions asking whether God has ever abandoned those who trust in God’s Providence. The questions startled me this morning. Surely we can all think of situations wherein it seems as if God has not been present in the midst of our struggles with poor health, with financial difficulties, with the presence of violence in our lives, in the face of natural disasters. Has Sirach led such an isolated life that he cannot think of a single situation in which he could question God’s care? I am sure that is not the case. When we add to that the fact that for Sirach there was no afterlife in which God could reward his steadfast faith, we might posit that the man is somewhat foolish.
However, then I thought again of the eleventh chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews in which the sacred writer tells the stories of the many people of the Hebrew Scriptures who triumphed because of their faith without ever realizing the fulfillment of God’s promises to them. We heard part of that chapter just last Saturday.
The argument simply comes down to this. God’s has never forsaken the promises made to people of faith. God is faithful. God’s loving kindness endures. God’s mercy and compassion are without end or limit. Our fragile human minds are simply unable to comprehend the height, the depth, the breadth and the width of God’s providential care. One day when our sojourn on this earth is complete, we will see more clearly. God reigns over all and never forsakes us no matter what the difficulty we may encounter. This is a lesson that all CUSANS must strive to hold close to their hearts.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator