Our Relationship with God 3/ 19 /06

1 recall an old Latin saying: "All comparisons limp." We come to understand many things by using images to convey certain ideas. We call these analogies. We can say that a man is as strong as a horse. This does convey the notion of unusual strength. We do not mean that he has four legs. The Bible uses the idea of covenant to help describe our relationship with God. "Covenant" among the Hebrews meant an agreement between two parties to carry out mutual obligations. In general exchanges we speak of "Quid pro quo." There is an equality between what each person gives. In the covenant with Israel God will watch over the people in a special way; the people will obey the commandments which are for the benefit of all. The part of the comparison that limps is that in our dealing with God there can never be any real equality.

All we have in our lives has been given to us by our Creator. The Lord has infinite knowledge, infinite power, infinite love. In comparison to God we have only the smallest pinch of knowledge, power and love. When it comes to good plans for ourselves and for others, God's competence infinitely exceeds ours.

Yet in our relationship with God we are always in danger of considering God to be just another human being. God does things for us; we do things for God. When God does not keep the bargain we have made in our minds, we can be disappointed or angry with God. We do have a relationship with God and there are exchanges of goods between us and God. However, God is infinitely wise and knows all things. We are blind to many aspects of life. We are often even puzzled by ourselves. When we ask God for something, we may be sure in our own minds that it is best for us. An all wise God knows better. Secondly, God loves us more than we love ourselves. We know that what we ask for, at times, can really be harmful to us.

1 could pray that my business venture would be successful and make a great deal of money. I would promise to give a good percentage to God. However, God could know that success in this business would make me proud, cause me to forget from whence my benefits come, cause me to neglect my family and lead me into many temptations. The Lord does not allow me the success that I crave. 1 might feel that Lord has let me down. In reality the Lord knows me too well and loves me too much to let me have the success 1 feel 1 need. When God says "no" to our requests, we believe that it is out of superior love that God denies us what we want.

What Jesus is opposing in today's Gospel is religious leaders using the exchange between God and individuals to enrich themselves. We all face the temptation to feel that we can bargain with God as an equal. If 1 give a certain amount of money to the Church, then God is obliged to give me what 1 most want. In all relationships there is always the temptation to take advantage of another person. Religious leaders can manipulate simple people through wrong ideas to collect money for themselves.

In a number of places in the various Gospels Jesus shows his anger and disdain for religious leaders who unfairly take money from people by distorting the laws of God. We humans are always in danger of abusing our relationships. In love we want to give freely to others. However, there is always that little demon within that thinks, well 1 can take a little more than my share, or is really blind to the inequalities of the relationship. Jesus hates the abuse of love because it erodes the trust so necessary in genuine love. Another common abuse of religion is to use our obeying certain commands to look down on others. A Lenten observance might be to look at our relationships. Do we demand of ourselves a trustworthiness that is essential to real love? Mahatma Gandhi thought that we should protest unfairness in relationships, but to do it in a kindly way. Usually people have a hard time hearing what we say in anger. Equality is so important in love that God has given us his Spirit of love so that there might be some measure of equality in our relationship with the Lord.