Thursday of the Second Week of Lent - March 20

Jeremiah 17:5-10 Luke 16:19-31


Today’s first reading from Scripture begins "Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings...". Panic sets in. This is not going to be easy for me. Being an army brat, I was raised to obey and respect my elders, and I have had many coaches that I trusted through the years. Although I was baptized Catholic, I was raised with zero religious upbringing. My parents both experienced the horrors of World War II, my father with the US Army in France and Germany, 1944-45, and my mother on the wrong end of allied bombing. My parents had long quit going to Church, and if they were twice-a-year Catholics, I don't remember going to Christmas or Easter masses growing up. I had to find God on my own.

All Scripture has been a mystery to me, and at Church I read along with all the readings at every mass so I can try to figure out what it all means. And then I ran into a quote attributed to Gen. Douglas MacArthur: "Never give an order that can be understood. Always give orders that cannot be misunderstood." That made me realize that Scripture can sometimes be a not-easily understood puzzle that God gave us the brains to solve, interpret, and use in our lives. There is no misunderstanding with God.

My reading goes on to say that "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD", and "I, the LORD, alone probe the mind and test the heart". Our decisions, our thoughts, our feelings, whether we are aware of it or not, are influenced by our relationship with God. In 1980, while working at the Chicago Board of Trade, I was offered a choice to further my career for one year in Kansas City or Cincinnati. I am still here, and every day am thankful to God for my wonderful life and the gifts He has given me, my fantastic family, and that I am not a Bengals fan.

Q: Have I ever misunderstood or misinterpreted God’s Will? How was this event resolved?

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