The Extravagence Of God

Tuesday of the 2nd week in Advent 2008

Extravagant. God is extravagant. Let’s face it, God is in love with us, and so much in love with us that he spares nothing to show that love.

If we look carefully at the word of God today, we can see His answer to many of the lies that we hear from the dominant culture. All flesh is grass, flourishing in the morning and dry and lifeless in the evening. Seventy is the sum of our years, eighty if we are strong. The materialist mind-set of this country cannot look beyond the grave. It seems to the observer who does not hear the word of God that human existence is a kind of cosmic joke. We live just long enough to really appreciate and value life, to savor each second of existence, and then all that knowledge and wisdom is snuffed out by a heart attack or a car accident.

But when we listen to the word of God, we realize that what we see is just a veil over the reality. The grass withers; the flower fades; but the word of the Lord endures forever. And His word is this: My love for you is so intense that I will do economically stupid things to bring you to myself. For just one soul God will give, has given, everything, even His only-begotten Son. For you, for me, even for the biggest jerk on earth.

Our response to that love is two fold. First of all, as the psalm says, we need to sing to God and praise Him every day. The holy sacrifice of the Mass is the best way to do that, but we also have the liturgy of the hours, the Rosary, and our other devotions. We can just sit for a while and give Him praise. Second of all, is the response of piety. We don’t just tell Him how great He is, we also do His will. Let’s spend some time now thinking about what God’s will for us today may be, and let’s ask Him for the grace of this sacrament so that we may accomplish it.