Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Convicting. That’s how I would describe today’s readings. As I prayed the passage from Ezekiel in preparation for writing this reflection, I could literally feel God’s word burning in my heart. I felt the heaviness of that text in my body; I felt deeply grieved over God’s message to the shepherds of God’s people; I felt, I felt . . . convicted. Similarly, with the Gospel, I experienced a visceral discomfort. I cannot avoid confronting the sinful tendency we all share to be selfish and uncharitable, to take offense when we feel slighted, to question God’s dealings with others. The Gospel acclamation from Hebrews reads, The word of God is living and effective, able to discern the reflections and thoughts of the heart. I sense the Holy Spirit leading us to allow that living and effective word of God to convict us today according to God’s intimate knowledge of each of us. Might we accept this gracious invitation?
The Holy Spirit longs to bring conviction to each of us, God’s beloved children. We become convicted of our sin when the Spirit impresses upon our conscience the need for repentance, or when we feel in our hearts that something isn’t right, or when our thoughts are illuminated to the truth. The Spirit also convicts us when it’s time to take a new course of action, step out in courage, act in faith, pursue our call to holiness, engage in acts of charity, extend mercy. Conviction is not condemnation. St Paul assures us, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). Conviction is a summons to change. We experience conviction when we become convinced that God’s way is our way. Conviction opens the door to formation as we set aside “our way,” and seek to follow Christ more faithfully, growing in his way as his disciple.
My reflection today is simple. I invite each of us to read today’s scriptures slowly and prayerfully, asking God to convict us in whatever way God knows we need. As you read and pray, notice what feelings are evoked, notice what you sense in your body, notice what you want to avoid, pay attention to what you feel drawn toward. Let thoughts, words, sensations, emotions rise up within you and bring all of those before the Lord. Ask God to help you make sense of what the Spirit stirs up in you and ask God to show you what practical steps you need to take. The word of God is living and effective, able to discern the reflections and thoughts of the heart. Today, let us bring the reflections and thoughts of our hearts before the Word himself, confident that God’s work in us is always loving and always for our good and the good of those around us. Come, Holy Spirit! Amen!
- Elizabeth Wourms