Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Micah
6:1-4.6-8; Matthew 12:38-42)
Jesus has
invited us to intimacy with him and with His Father. Should we consider that invitation as
indication that we are equal to God? Some
people through the ages have dared to think so. Both readings today describe ways
of humans posturing as God’s peers.
In the
reading from Micah Israel tries to appease God as if He were a foreign power. They consider giving him livestock and produce
to win his favor. The gospel tells of
pharisees demanding a sign from Jesus as if he were a traveler needing a
credential to enter their city. Neither can
the offering be accepted nor the demand be met because humans are not
commensurate with God. They must not try
to determine the terms of their relationship with him. Rather they are to seek and comply with his
will.
This does
not mean, however, that we go before the Lord with fear and trembling. We can look to him for compassion and love. He is ready to forgive our transgressions and
to provide any help we need.
