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Meditation: May 25, 2008
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| "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands." Isaiah 49:15-16a |
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| Reflection: |
This verse comes from a chapter in which the prophet Isaiah assures Israel that God is with His people and has not forgotten them. Trials and tribulations have planted doubts in the minds of the people as to whether or not they will ever be delivered from captivity in Babylon. Trials and tribulations today cause people of God to wonder at times whether or not they are in the hands of God. Isaiah uses powerful imagery to reinforce the frailty of the human condition and our need for a Father who will not leave us comfortless. Can a mother forget her child? Yes, it does happen! We need only recall cases in which infants have been unintentionally left in hot cars on hot days because a mother's mind was so preoccupied. Even the best of parents may forget a child and in doing so cause the worst to happen. Few of us have experienced the agony of such a loss as this.
A parent and a child may be separated by tragic circumstances, but nothing can separate that parent or that child or any of us from the love of God. God's love never stops. God's love never fails. The imagery of our being "inscribed" on the palms of God's hands reinforces the permanency of our relationship with our Father, of our bond with Him. It also reinforces the all-important thought that no matter where we may be in body or spirit, God is there with us. We are forever in the hands of a Father who will always lift us up from our lowest places in life. What a wonderful thought! What a comforting thought! Thanks be to God! |
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| Prayer: |
Heavenly Father, enable us to be aware, always, of your presence in our lives. Amen |
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Question of
the Week: |
In what ways can I extend the hand of Christian love to one who has suffered a loss? |
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| Meditation written by Marilyn Kramme of the St. John's Writing Team. |
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