FRIDAY, TWENTY SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Bar 1: 15-22 Ps 79: 1-5, 8-9 Lk 10: 13-16
THE GOD WHO SEEKS!
In the Old Testament, sin is most often presented as disobedience — a refusal to submit to God’s sovereign authority. This disobedience is not simply a single act but, as in today’s first reading, a history of continual rebellion. The Israelites repeatedly resisted bringing themselves under God’s loving rule. Obedience, however, is not slavery; it is the path to enjoying a relationship with Him, living according to the purpose for which we were created.
Sin, at its core, is missing life’s ultimate goal which is communion with God. Today, we see sin in self-reliance, the pursuit of sensuality, greed for possessions, and the desire to dominate others. Such attitudes reduce God to a tool for fulfilling our wants. The Tower of Babel remains a powerful image of this modern idolatry where humanity seeks greatness apart from God. In this state, people often fail to recognize their need for liberation. Yet God created us to know, love, and serve Him, and it is in His nature to forgive, restore, and draw us back to our original purpose. This is at the heart of the Judeo-Christian faith: not humanity reaching for God, but God actively seeking us. In Christianity, justice is more than “giving each their due;” it rather is desiring and pursuing the true good of others. Yet sin leaves us unable to will what is truly good without divine help.
Even when we are lost, broken, and spiritually dead, God continues to love and call us. His mercy, however, respects our freedom. But our freedom, weakened by sin, must itself be liberated. True freedom (Gal 5:1) is not doing as we please, but living as we ought. It begins by acknowledging we are sinners who cannot save ourselves, and culminates in surrendering to Jesus, relying wholly on His love rather than our own abilities or merits. Today’s readings remind us of God’s persistent invitation: turn back, repent, and embrace the life for which we were made: a life of freedom, justice, and love in Christ.
Response: For the sake of the glory of your name, free us O Lord.
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