Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent
Laurel McKenna
The Collect of the Day
O God, you willed to redeem us from all iniquity by your Son: Deliver us when we are tempted to regard sin without abhorrence, and let the virtue of his passion come between us and our mortal enemy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings: Isaiah 1:2–4,16–20, Matthew 23:1–12 & Psalm 50:7–15,22–24
The Gospel reading in Matthew 23:1-12 provided me with a lot to think about. And while processing those thoughts, I kept coming back to the notion of following God’s will as I strive to be who I am.
When I went away to college, my parents, both individually and jointly, gave me the same advice, “Remember where you came from,” and “Stay true to yourself.” I know there were times I looked to others, mostly my peers, to influence my actions and behavior. And, I’m sure my parents witnessed changes in me that didn’t reflect who they wanted me to be.
When both of my children went off to boarding school and then college, I offered them the same advice given to me by my parents. “Remember where you came from.” “Stay true to yourself.” And, like my parents, I too struggled as I witnessed some less than desirable ”leanings” by them. And, try as I might to assert my will upon them, to control them, it became abundantly clear that God had other plans. I now know that it was God’s will that guided them and me through the bumps in our journeys. Another reminder to me that He is the teacher and I am His student.
Over the years, while I have occasionally lost sight of my origins and may have, to my parents’ (and maybe others’) dismay, veered slightly from who I am, I have found , the closer I drew to God, the better able I was to return to the most authentic version of me. Relying on God’s will, rather than my own, continues to keep me honest, in line with who I am and who He calls me to be. The message in today’s Gospel is a great reminder of that basic teaching. Do the hard work. Take responsibility for my own actions. Be an instrument of God in my actions, and don’t let those actions be motivated by the promise of praise and accolades. Remain humble and navigate the world at a level equal to, not above, others. And most importantly, look to no other authority than God to teach me how to navigate this life as my true self.
In the end, I think my parents came to believe, just as I did with my own children. The people we are, some of the time, and the people we continually strive to become, are directly correlated to our level of trust and faith in God. God’s influence, God’s guidance, God’s teachings, God’s will.