Meditation: May 27, 2007

" Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. " Genesis 11:9    

 Reflection: I venture to guess that nearly everyone in this country has partaken of bisketti. It's hands-down one of America's funnest foods, even if it came from the Italians, who may have been inspired by the Chinese.

Some young people call the snaky, slippery, slurpy food skagegi. That's OK. We're pretty sure what they mean. Some very young ones hold up small fistfuls, smile and enthusiastically proclaim "gaah!", which is acceptable to most, though too imprecise for purists.

Language confusion is not confined to the dinner table. As a computer consultant, the first thing I do on a new project is identify, define and clarify the clients' terminology. It ain't easy! Common words are the most troublesome. Experts sheepishly admit they overuse, reuse and abuse words that describe their most complex topics. Only with deep understanding of the context can conversations be decoded. Woe to simple outsiders!

We have translation challenges in our spiritual lives, too. Like the fallen tower of Babel, a scheme to lift the builders to the heavens, spiritual confusion is present from the earliest moments of our lives. In disarray we ask, "How should I interact with God? With others? With myself?"

God provides a consultant for us, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reaches back to the genesis of our lives, untangling our tongues, removing our doublespeak and authoring our eloquence.

Prayer: Thank you God for generously pouring on us your Holy Spirit, who speaks in gentle dialects. Amen         

Question of
the Week: Where in my life do imperfect translations continue?        

Meditation written by Bob Krause of the St. John's Writing Team