Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Sixteen years ago I got some news that changed my life forever. It was great news. The news was so good that I could not believe it. You dream of things that you want to happen and when they do the gravity of the reality is powerful, that you are completely humbled. Our first born would arrive in a few short months and I was completely overwhelmed. With a deep sense of awe and humility my prayers dealt with the feeling of being confounded by this new reality.
In his prayer, Ezra expresses his own being confounded at the good news he has just received. Imagine having been inn slavery for over seventy years. Many of those alive were born and grew up in slavery. It was all they knew. For us, who were born into a slavery of our own it can be difficult to fully appreciate the freedom of the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus sent his Apostles to proclaim the Kingdom of God, he challenged them to go free of earthly possessions. Empowered with authority from Christ they were to share the Good News, drive out demons and cure the sick. Their example of proclaiming the Kingdom is a challenge to us today. Consider how you could more deeply embrace the trust and authority that Christ has placed in us. How is that we are being sent to proclaim the Good News.
"Loving and Merciful God, continue to free us from the slavery we have born into. Lord send Your Spirit upon us to remove all that confounds us so that we can completely trust in You who lives and reigns one God, forever and ever. Amen."
-Michael Montgomery