Daily Reflection Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

When my older brother entered law school, I could not understand why he wanted to spend the rest of his life picking at legal strategies to prove a point! Now that my brain and heart have matured a bit, I understand the importance of law in our personal lives. That message is what Jesus is teaching us today. Universal law is a way of life: respecting self, others, God—no matter who we are. Yes, law is meant to protect these relationships. So, in today’s reading when we are exhorted to obey God’s laws, this is not in lieu of punishment, but more as an encouragement.



    Law, as explained by Deuteronomy, is not an “obey or else” kind of experience. No, Jesus explains law as a means to grow in peaceful relationship with God and one another, thus the ten commandments. Positive response to fair laws can bring peace to our hearts and interpersonal relationships. Even in civil government, fair laws based on the spirit of the Mosaic commandments engender justice and peace, but living according to fair laws is not an easy feat. Our heads and hearts need to understand Moses’ words to observe the commandments carefully.  The effects of original sin do not allow us to live justly without interference! Before we can act in observance, we need to sit with our God to understand what these commandments mean in daily living.



     The twentieth century prophet, Howard Thurman, compared our obedience to God like that of the seed of the jack pine. The cone of the pine tree will not give up the seed unless it is subjected to intense heat. It is then in the midst of the ashes that the secret of the cone is exposed. As Thurman has written,“It is not too far afield to suggest that there are things deep within the human spirit that are firmly imbedded, dormant, latent, and inactive. These things are always positive, though they may be destructive rather than creative. These remain until they are swept by some forest fire: some mindless tragedy or a time of agony when an entire nation may be involved. That experience can call people to the deepest things in life. Then, like the jack pine, grow tall and straight.” 



    Are we not living in a time that needs our discernment in action—a time when we need to renew our observance of laws that support justice and peace for all people? Let us spend time in silence with our God to discern how wisdom and goodness can emerge from our actions. Will we sink into negativity in the ashes, or will we encourage each other to grow tall and straight like the jack pine?