Repost of my first post

I thought this reminiscence was worth repeating. It was the first post I sent on this blog back in 2009. only 13, but seemingly 50, years ago.

Easter Hope

I went to the Confirmation Mass tonight. I went to see some of my kids confirmed; kids in the flock that I've had the good fortune to be able to share my faith with for the past two years. The following reading was given by one of the confirmandi, Katherine Janoski. I know Katherine, not very well, but, well enough to be assured that the passing on of our faith is in good hands.

The first reading, though, is one that has always imbued me with a profound sense of family. Of being part of a family lead by someone who loves me and wants me, someone who is willing to look past my transgressions and in spite of them hugs me and pulls me to his bosom.

From Ezekiel Chapter 36,

"24 For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28 You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God."

He has made us his own. Does not that invoke in you that feeling of safety and comfort you felt as a child when pulled into your mother's bosom, all insecurities vanished, the pain went away, and all fears receded to nothingness. What an awesome God we have. How greatly he elevates us despite our unworthiness.

What a great message for our confirmandi! Perhaps, as those who have been born into a loving family, as those who have always been approached as having an innate sense of self-worth, the message of Ezekiel does not hold much impact. But, for those of us who have accumulated experiences that show how alone we can be and how much our own destructive inclinations can pull us away from God, we can see and feel in these words a deeper meaning and a great comfort.

What an awesome God we have! I see it in his mercy and I see it in our children.