Sunday, July 16, 2017

God Loves and Calls us to Him, In Spite of our Sin

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 17:1 (New Jerusalem Bible)
'I am El Shaddai. Live in my presence, be perfect

Proverbs 1:20-25 (New Jerusalem Bible)
Wisdom calls aloud in the streets, she raises her voice in the public squares;21 she calls out at the street corners, she delivers her message at the city gates. 22 'You simple people, how much longer will you cling to your simple ways? How much longer will mockers revel in their mocking and fools go on hating knowledge?23 Pay attention to my warning. To you I will pour out my heart and tell you what I have to say.24 …I have called and … I have beckoned …

Proverbs 8:1-8 (New Jerusalem Bible)
Is not Wisdom calling? Is not Understanding raising her voice?2 On the heights overlooking the road, at the crossways, she takes her stand;
3 by the gates, at the entrance to the city, on the access-roads, she cries out,4 'I am calling to you, all people, my words are addressed to all humanity.5 Simpletons, learn how to behave, fools, come to your senses.
6 Listen, I have something important to tell you, when I speak, my words are right.7 My mouth proclaims the truth, for evil is abhorrent to my lips.
8 All the words from my mouth are upright, nothing false there, nothing crooked,

Wisdom has built herself a house, she has hewn her seven pillars, 2 she has slaughtered her beasts, drawn her wine, she has laid her table. 3 She has dispatched her maidservants and proclaimed from the heights above the city, 4 'Who is simple? Let him come this way.' To the fool she says, 5 'Come and eat my bread, drink the wine which I have drawn!


Sirach 14:20-15:6 (New Jerusalem Bible)
Blessed is anyone who meditates on wisdom, and reasons with intelligence, 21 who studies her ways in his heart, and ponders her secrets.22 He pursues her like a hunter, and lies in wait by her path; 23 he peeps in at her windows, and listens at her doors; 24 he lodges close to her house, and fixes his peg in her walls; 25 he pitches his tent at her side, and lodges in an excellent lodging; 26 he sets his children in her shade, and camps beneath her branches; 27 he is sheltered by her from the heat, and in her glory he makes his home.15 1 Whoever fears the Lord will act like this, and whoever grasps the Law will obtain wisdom. 2 She Will come to meet him like a mother, and receive him like a virgin bride. 3 She will give him the bread of understanding to eat, and the water of wisdom  to drink. 4 He will lean on her and will not fall, he will rely on her and not be put to shame.
5 She will raise him high above his neighbors, and in full assembly she will will open his mouth. 6 He will find happiness and a crown of joy, he will inherit an everlasting name.

Come to me, you who desire me, and eat your fill of my produce

Draw near to me, you who are untaught, and lodge in my school.24 Why do you say you are lacking in these things, and why are your souls very thirsty? 25 I opened my mouth and said, Get these things for yourselves without money. 26 Put your neck under the yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by.

The Lord says, “Come, everyone who is thirsty—here is water! Come, you that have no money— buy grain and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk—it will cost you nothing! Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? Listen to me and do what I say, and you will enjoy the best food of all. “Listen now, my people, and come to me; come to me, and you will have life! I will make a lasting covenant with you

 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which shall not be cut off. “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, every one who keeps the sabbath, and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for[a] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons; 12 and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. 

15 So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. 

But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[b] 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; 23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. 38 He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.”

But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

1 John 4:10 (New Jerusalem Bible)
Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins.


Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

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