YOU THINK GOD IS LIKE YOU?

There is a verse in Psalm 50 in which God asks “do you think that I am like you?” This question deserves some careful reflection. The parable of the Prodigal Son (read at mass this morning) is a great challenge us, because it shows us a God who is infinitely merciful and forgiving. I have to ask myself, “Am I like that, or do I set limits on my forgiveness?”

I can certainly find plenty of quotations in the Old Testament, and some in the New, that portray God as vengeful, petty and angry, “punishing the children to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their parents.“ I can show you a God who demands that the Israelites destroy their enemies, including the babies. This God does not mess around! 

At the same time there are plenty of passages in both the Old Testament and especially in the New Testament, that portray God, as the loving father, forgiving and gentle toward all his children, including sinners. So we seem to be left with a god who is schizophrenic! Which is it? Which God is the real one? It  seems that we are stuck with this question.

THREE STEPS FORWARD

Let me suggest an approach that I have pointed out before in this blog. The Bible is a single story, beginning with Genesis and ending with the last chapter of the Book of Revelation. It is the story of God’s love for creation In the earliest chapters of Genesis God promises to set things right one day, and in the final chapters of Revelation we have the vision of a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, a Kingdom of joy and peace for everyone in the world. The story goes in only One Direction: moving towards the culmination of God’s love at the end of time.

But the Bible is written by human beings; although they are inspired by the Holy Spirit, they are writing at a certain time, in certain culture, and with their own personal talents and shortcomings. So sometimes we get passages that reflect the values of people in, say, the bronze age, and their attitude towards warfare. But these passages are going in the wrong direction! They are not heading us toward the fullness of the kingdom, but rather away from it. 

On the other hand, we have lots of passages in the old testament, and certainly in the New Testament that bring us forward, in the direction of the eventual culmination of God’s loving plan for the world. 

Think of it this way: the Bible is ultimately heading in the one direction, but the pattern is this: three steps forward, and two steps back. So it makes progress, but the progress is not perfectly smooth. There are beautiful passages that bring us three steps forward in the right direction, but then, because of human weakness, there are passages in the Bible that bring us two steps back in the wrong direction, toward vengeance, selfishness, violence, and so on.

Three steps forward, two steps back.

Many of us find those “two steps back” passages kind of attractive. They show us a god who is vengeful, who punishes until his anger is satisfied. This is a God that we can understand. There’s no mystery involved. We all know people who are angry, or who can be vengeful; and we know how to deal with them, how to stay on their good side. The fact is that this gives us some control over such a God, right? 

But God reveals himself to us in Jesus Christ as a God who is Love itself, a God who loves us no matter what, just the way we are. We cannot understand everything that happens to us in our lives because ours is a God of mystery, a God of surprises. And we don’t necessarily like mystery or surprises. 

So the parable of the Prodigal Son shows us a God who is surprising, a God who is totally forgiving. This surely is a mystery. A beautiful mystery, but still a mystery.

[NOTE: I was just interrupted to hear a confession in French. I was pleased to hear the opening words of the Act of Contrition in French : "Mon Dieu, j’ai un très grand regret de vous avoir offensé parce que vous êtes infiniment bon, infiniment aimable..." How beautiful": "My God, I am very sorry for having offended you because you are infinitely good and infinitely lovable..." There is the God, the Abba, that Jesus came to reveal to us.  END OF NOTE]

Let’s end by returning to God's question from Psalm 50: “Do you think that I am like you?” Maybe a good answer would be “No, Lord, I surely hope that you are not like me! I hope that you are infinitely good and infinitely lovable.” In our traditional English version we don't get to the "you are all good and deserving of all my love" until we first do the "I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell." Take your pick.

As Lent moves forward toward the Easter mystery, let us be looking forward to the greatest of all God's gifts: resurrection and eternal life. Let’s concentrate on those three steps forward, because that is the direction that we are all heading in.

Let us pray for one another on our Lenten journey.