Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Readings of the Day

“From all their distress, God rescues the just.”  When I read the words of the Psalm today, my first reaction was, “It sure doesn’t feel that way.”  There are numerous examples we can find in our work and our world today where it seems as though God is not rescuing the just.  As our nation is experiencing a cold snap, we hear of people dying in the streets and even in their homes due to the cold and loss of power.  Despite years of fighting and clawing to be treated with dignity, people of color in this country still regularly experience prejudice and discrimination.  And we continue to work our way through a global pandemic that is doing untold damage to people physically, mentally, and emotionally, while also making clear the great length we have to go to become a nation of liberty and justice for all.

Yet as dubious as the Psalm’s words sound when they hit my ears, I see them as an invitation to trust God.  Instead of judging the Word of God by what is going on in the world, perhaps I need to examine the events of our world through the lens of God’s Word.  What if I begin by accepting the truth that “From all their distress, God rescues the just”?  Perhaps the issue is not with God, but with my inability to see God at work. 

More than that, I believe these words serve as a call for me to co-labor with God to rescue people from their distress.  I have an opportunity each day to bring God’s presence to people who are suffering, to help them know the love God has for each of them.  If I’m honest, I don’t know if I have what it takes to do this, but I realize that my self-doubt is an invitation to trust God more.  As it says in the first reading, “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to be void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

God speaks the truth and in speaking the truth, brings it into existence.  I think it’s time for me to question God’s Word less and trust more.

Peter Weiss has been the Living Justice Advocate with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay in 2017.  Peter’s role is to promote justice and Catholic Social Teaching throughout the Diocese of Green Bay.

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