WHY DO YOU CARE?
March 5, Wednesday 2025
Today’s reading include Joel 2:
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
And psalm 51: Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
So, I read these. I think about my life, who I am in this world, who I am in the eyes of God. I read Richard Rohr’s meditation today and the poem by
The Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha expresses the devastation of grief and the longing for peace:
I wish I could wake up and find the electricity on all day long.
I wish I could hear the birds sing again, no shooting and no
buzzing drones.
I wish my desk would call me to hold my pen and write again,
or at least plow through a novel, revisit a poem, or read a play.
All around me are nothing
but silent walls
and people sobbing
without sound. [1]
I think of (and see in my mind) the revolting scene in the White House, where the man who is suppose to be our leader (and God help us-is) showed pettiness, lack of self control, vindictiveness, ugliness of spirit. Not only him but several others; one who looked gleeful at the outcome of the meeting. I saw some sit on the couch with obvious distress (hopefully embarrassment) and say nothing in support of the Ukrainian president.
Why, Lord? Why would you continue to care about us? Our fickle, petty, vindictive side, cruel and evil side are so present in the world and have been for millennia. Why do you care anymore about us? Where do you get the compassion, the forgiveness, the hope for and in us?
What do you need me to do? What do I say? What do I do? I ask, but hope you don’t ask anything hard. Such is my heart. Forgive me, let my ears, eyes and heart be open to the needs you show.
How many times do I have to fall into despair? How many times will you be there to whisper and say “I am here…I love you…all will be well…hear my words, listen to my commands, see my kingdom and people around you.” Lord, I need to hear that daily. I need to be reoriented to you daily. Is there an action that I can do daily that will center me in you?
Rejoicing hardly feels appropriate these days. There is too much sadness, too much disappointment, too much pain, too much evil.
Seeking The Light 