Choose God

A Reflection on the First Reading for October 11th, 2020:
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Isaiah
25.6-10

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.”
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Pause. Pray. 

And then read more...

Reading this word from Isaiah I thought, What hope for the future! What the Lord will do for His people! If only the rejoicing could start now!

But then — this scripture ends on a short and odd note which quickly took the wind out of my sails: “The Moabites shall be trodden down in their place, as straw is trodden down in a dung pit.” 
Pause. What the Lord will do — for everyone but.... the Moabites? My heart cried, “But God is not exclusive! His promises are intended for and offered to every single human He created. What is significant about being a Moabite that would disqualify one from them?”

Turns out the Moabites and ancient Israelites share a common ancestry through Abraham. The division of Moabites was borne out of some pretty dicey decisions. Moab's people eventually turned away from God to worship other gods. In short, to be a Moabite was considered a disgrace. 
Yet shockingly, Ruth, the great-grandmother of David, was a Moabite. (Ruth 4:18-22). Jesus' lineage; our salvation, cuts directly through a people in a state of dishonor. How is this possible? It is possible because, as a Moabite, Ruth chose not to be defined by her origins or past. Rather, she chose to be defined by the saving grace of God. 

It is the turning away from God, and not one’s provenance, that inevitably leads a person to the proverbial “dung-pit." We all know the dung pit, right? I know when I start asking myself the question, “How did I ever get into this mess?”, it’s usually because I have not consulted God in my decisions or I have turned inward toward myself.

Viewed in this light, the term "Moabite" describes not so much one’s cultural or regional identity, but rather the state of one’s heart. For whatever reason, our world wants to identify and define people by their characteristics, affiliates, and decisions — but God is far more interested in identifying what needs restoration and healing in the heart of His people. He makes these promises, so beautifully proclaimed in Isaiah, available to all and wants to give them in the present moment! But receiving these requires turning away from whatever "Moabite” tendencies live in me. To receive, I must make a choice for God like Ruth. Today’s reading invites me to that response:

“It will be said on that day, 
Lo, this is our God,  
we have waited for Him,  
so that he might save us.”

Today I say, "God, You are my God. I have waited for You — save me!"

In this moment of decision — in any moment when these words are said with fervour and sincerity — all can receive God's promise. And what a way to live from a whole heart! Death is defeated and the shroud disappears! Tears are dissolved and disgrace is no more! Satisfaction is found in the life of the feast.

Rejoice, my soul, in the decision for Christ!!!




Michelynne Gomez
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