3/17/2014 – Monday of 2nd Week in Lent & St Patrick’s Day – Deuteronomy 9:4-10

     It is interesting to see who we have been hearing from in the first reading these past few days in our Lenten season.  Recently, we have heard from the books of Jonah, Esther, and Ezekiel.  Today, we hear from Moses in the book of Deuteronomy – quite a variety of sources in our first readings these past few days. In this passage from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, Moses continues with his sermon to the people of Israel.  He fervently pleads with them to remember who they are, who God is, and how the observance of His commands is the proper expression of allegiance to and love of God.  I am currently reading a book entitled How Big Is Your God?: The Freedom to Experience the Divine as part of my Lenten readings.  It is a book written by a Jesuit priest from India named Paul Coutinho.  One of the chapters is entitled: “God – An Experience – Not a Theology.”  That is an important thing to remember, since we can approach our faith as a set of rules or a particular theology to follow without really having a relationship with God. The way Moses expresses his feelings and emotions about God in our reading from Deuteronomy shows that he does indeed have a relationship with him.

       I think that is why in our modern world interest in the community of saints has grown, both in Catholics and in Protestants. The saints but a human face on our faith, showing how different people throughout history have experienced God in their lives and have had a relationship with him in the midst of their reality.  I would certainly be remiss in not mentioning St Patrick today on his feast day, especially since my home town is Chicago, where they dye the river Green on this day in honor of St Patrick and in honor of the contributions the Irish population there have made to that great city. One site devoted to the saints on the internet lists Patrick as the patron saint of Ireland and names him as one of the most popular saints in the world today.  It is interesting that Patrick actually was not a native Irishman; he actually came to Ireland first as a slave, and then later as a missionary to bring God’s holy word to that island.  As we know, Ireland became one of the most Catholic of nations, having sent many missionaries to the world herself, including countless dozens of priests to our own Diocese of Jackson.  I don’t have to remind you of Father Tom Lalor who recently served here at St James.  We remember Patrick and our Irish priests who so fervently brought the Word of God to the world.  May God be more that a theology to us – may he become an experience and a relationship that permeates our lives.