Bracha
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al s’firat haomer.
Blessed are You, LORD God, ruler of the Universe, who hallows us with the mitzvot, commanding us to count the Omer.
Today is the forty-fourth day — six weeks and two days of the Omer.
Today’s Reflection
The reading for today begins with a few paragraphs from the incredible Sister Joan D. Chittister, a Benedictine nun and social activist from the US. I have read a couple of her books, but my favourite is The Time is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage, a manifesto that invites readers to confront the unjust status quo. She is definitely my cup of tea!
In today’s reflection, Sister Joan writes that together with God, we are co-creators of the universe: “We cooperate in the seeding of life. We participate in the coming of justice. We cultivate the ground. God created the world, yes, but then he gave it to us to develop. We have made it what it is” (Kedar, pg. 148). She goes on to say that the good and bad in the world is not the “fault” of God. She writes, “There is no reason to assume, for example, that God will end nuclear weaponry. If the world ends in a nuclear blast, it will not be this God who did it. We created nuclear weapons; we can end them ourselves…we have no grounds for blaming God for our losses” (Kedar, pg. 148).
This completely resonates with me, and aligns with by deep belief that we are all accountable for what we do (or don’t do) in the world. We are not some hapless, incompetent puppets of God. Sister Joan further explains:
…we are called to believe that God is Energy and Love. Not the Grand Inquisitor. Not the great Circus Master. Not the Indifferent Professor who does distant research on our lives. God is the One who made for us a good world and walks with us to hold us up as we go. Sometimes, in the face of the God of life the most faithful thing we can do is simply keep on living” (Kedar, pg. 148).
And so it is. Amen.