A reflection on Isaiah 45:1, 4–6 for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.
I shouldn’t think that God needs my approval before choosing someone for His work. But sometimes I wonder if He has checked their references and considered their qualifications. Are they Catholic? Do they go to church? Have they said anything that would turn heads at a parish meeting?
In Isaiah, God calls Cyrus by name and gives him a task for Israel’s sake. Cyrus does not know the Lord. God says so plainly, then works through him anyway.I guess knowing all the right prayers was not needed for this assignment.
It’s something I’d rather not think about. When a fellow Catholic does something generous, I readily see faith at work. When someone who has no interest in religion does the same thing, I am much less likely to wonder what God could be teaching me through them.
A neighbor who never attends church regularly checks on the elderly man down the street. She knows when his appointments are and whether he has groceries. Meanwhile, I have remembered him in prayer and been meaning to stop by for several weeks now.
I can learn from her without trying to make her fit into my understanding of spiritual life.
Cyrus’s place in this reading does not mean everything he did carried God’s approval. But God could give him a part in Israel’s story even though he didn’t know the Lord. It helps me remember that I can recognize good in someone without endorsing every opinion they hold. I hope others will give me the same courtesy.
My Catholic faith gives me ways to recognize and respond to God. It should also make me attentive when goodness appears somewhere I did not expect. The neighbor who does not pray may have something to teach me about keeping the promises I make in prayer.
God, help me welcome goodness without checking whether it came from someone on my list. Give me humility to learn from people whose faith differs from mine, and willingness to put what I learn into practice. Amen.
Leave a Reply