In the Gospel of Luke we are presented with two prayers: one by man, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (18:13) – the other by an angel: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased” (2:14). The one focusing inward and on human failing; the other glorifies God. Of the two prayers I just wonder which one better praises the Lord.
We’re all adept at finding justification for our actions. However, it is our choices that justify us. It does not matter what the mouth says but what the heart feels. If the heart is indifferent then no amount of glib words can bridge the gulf for ultimately indifference is the destruction of love.
Why do the good suffer and the evil prosper? Why do the good, the marginalised and the weak appear to be punished and the wicked rewarded? That is a question that has bedevilled man throughout the ages. Perhaps evil is the result of conscious and accountable choices made in this world by others against us. Our task is to demonstrate our inner belief by how we respond to those who do us harm. In Christ we have the perfect role model. In Christ we have understanding that what matters is not this life but the next – so although we attend to the needs of this, we’ll we never lose sight of the next.
Without wind a ship cannot sail – but everyday life provides more than enough tempests to engage our boat. Without an experienced helmsman however our ship will be lost on the rocks of that life. The question we have to decide is: do we trust in our own abilities to steer, or our ship, or do we do relinquish our hand from the tiller and rely upon the person that controls the winds to steer us to safe harbour? That is our choice – and that choice is a matter of life or death.