Word to the Wise
Monday, July 4, 2011 - Monday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 28:10-22a and Matt 9:18-26,1007]When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, "Truly, the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it!" In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!"
One could spend a lifetime reflecting on the stories about Jacob in Genesis! He is a clever rogue at times. At other times, he is the recipient of God's special providence. Today's first scripture is an example of the latter. Jacob has a dream about a ladder from heaven to earth. Generations of theologians and mystics have pondered this dream and written long books about it. I cannot claim to know its meaning. That's the problem with dreams anyhow! However, Jacob's reaction when he wakes up is important. He realizes that God has especially "visited" him in time and space. The place of the dream becomes "awesome" (in the traditional sense of the word and not the current overuse)! He commemorates the vision by establishing a shrine.
I have envied the great Old Testament heroes like Abraham, Jacob, Moses and the great prophets for the sheer immediacy of their dialogues with God! There is some irony in the New Testament where ordinary people were in the presence of God in the person of Jesus Christ and had no sense of it. The apostles didn't really know till Jesus had risen from the dead! Nevertheless, we can have access to God in prayer and "say our piece," and we may well experience the special presence of God, which is usually unexpected and cannot be scheduled. Reading the stories of Jacob can help us understand some of the mysterious ways of providence! AMEN