Readings:
Ezekiel 16: 1-15, 60,63
Matthew 19: 3-12
Reflection:
There are many images in scripture where God is trying to show us who we are, where we have come from, and what He is doing. God’s love for us is so wide, so deep that it is impossible for us to fully grasp. However, God does not stop from trying to show us, as we see in the passage from Ezekiel today.
On first reading this passage I realised how easy it is to shy away from the very graphic images presented. It is a passage that is trying to powerfully show the gravity of our disgrace, you may argue, along with the amazing deliverance due to God’s love.
Take the first image, where Jerusalem is pictured as a rejected baby. The imagery of where birth is met with no one wanting to connect. The very relatable image of birth, new life where the umbilical cord was not cut, no tender hands to wash, clean or even swaddle. An image is created of rejection or displacement in the form of being left in an open field free from pity or compassion, adding another layer of imagery of abandonment mistakenly familiar to death.
Translating this into today’s context does not take any creativity with the countless images present each day on our ‘doom and gloom’ show aka the news. A reality that is deeply unsettling, even crippling, leaving one to cry in union while turning our face to God.
Just as in scripture, the passage continues to express – God passes by! He proclaims ‘LIVE’! Resulting in growth, life, beauty to the extent that God covers the new adult and makes a covenant. Followed by bathing, anointing, clothing then gifting riches and fame. Echoing the symbols, gifts and acts of sacraments – baptism, anointing or even marriage.
Pausing here knowing that this is not the end, rather it is the beginning. Unlike the traditional ‘happily ever after’ storybook, the story continues touching on human vulnerability, brokenness, darkness and free choice. The imagery presents complexity, rawness and helps us to realise the power of God’s love.
I began this reflection stating that God is trying to show us who we are, where we have come from and what God is doing. Take a moment, can you see God passing by proclaiming ‘LIVE’. God’s voice, full of love, so wide it encompasses you, so deep it grounds you beyond your feet leaving you breathless in awe and wonder. What image comes to you?
Sr Karen Englebretsen CP, Cross and Passion Sisters. blessed to be a spiritual care worker in the homeless sector in Melbourne.