Isaiah 13

Thursday, March 28, 2013
Holy Thursday

Isaiah 13

So...Babylon is going down.

That was a very dark passage to read after Holy Thursday Mass, about the loving act of God in giving Himself to us not just the once but daily (except Good Fridays) in the Eucharist, about Jesus washing feet.  Father Jamail gave a lovely homily about our whole lives being in God that I think just may stick with me.  Also, he mentioned my patron saint Martha and her sister Mary - Martha of the world was reminded of Jesus's divinity, Mary who sat at his feet was shown Jesus's humanity.

It's definitely the divine face of God in Isaiah 13, and a frightening one at that.  I've always disliked the term "God-fearing", mostly since I read The Witch of Blackbird Pond and a character I didn't like ordered the main character that she was going to go to church like a "God fearing woman".

"That's not why you're supposed to go to church!" I remember screaming in my mind even then.

I've written a lot on this blog about why I think you should go to church, what the reasons for church are, and what I think is wrong with going to church out of tradition, obligation, or fear of hell fire and being left behind in the rapture.

But does that mean there is no place for fear of God?  No place for fear of the Being who holds us all in the palm of His hand like a soap bubble?

I listened to WNYC's rebroadcast of "Emergence" this afternoon, which amongst other things discusses how patterns suddenly appear as if there is an intelligent guiding hand despite the complete absence of one in both ants and (as seen in city neighborhoods, etc.) human behavior.  And I thought about how I've always been so much more impressed when God answers prayers and seems to set things up so wonderfully for us because I don't believe He comes in an meddles on a micro level.  I think His initial plan set it up so that these things would happen.  So that order and beauty would emerge from the chaos as if of their own accord.  Perhaps even of their own accord.

Do we have nothing to fear from such a Being?

Should we not at least fear the loss of His love?

And now I'm thinking of marriage, and whether a good marriage should be freedom from fear of it ending or if a good marriage is to someone whom you necessarily fear losing their love because it is so precious to you.  God's love of us is so precious and so the foundation of our lives that perhaps we should fear.  Should fear the wrath that could destroy Babylon (and perhaps the world, it sounds like a full on doomsday prophecy, especially in places) in His anger.

Who could have set us up from the beginning to fail and burn and die as if of our own accord.

But we cannot forget that He does love us.  The fear should make us grateful for His love and mercy.  And perhaps that is the proper way to fear God.