Our story

     Today's post is a Scripture Reflection that I did for the Diocesan Website of the Diocese of Greensburg for this weekend.

     Our identity is usually rooted in our story.  Who we are often flows from our heritage and background.  Our effectiveness often rests in our experiences.  And this holds true to our identity as Church, as the Body of Christ, as the Community of Faith.

     In Deuteronomy we have Moses, the leader of this "newly minted" people, acknowledging the gratitude of the people for the role that God was playing in their lives.  In that acknowledgment, he reminds them of their story, of their roots.  "My father was a wandering Aramean ..." he begins.  Knowing the story reminds the people of where their present blessings have come from and the need and desire within their lives to give thanks.

     The account of the temptation of Jesus after forty days in the desert which we hear at the beginning of the Lenten season not only tells us of this moment in the life of Jesus, but it reminds us that he was well versed in the story of his people (as was the tempter), and when tempted, he could respond with clarity and confident assurance a word of resistance to that temptation.  His strength was found in the power of his relationship with the Father.  Our strength is found in the power of our relationship with the Father.  Knowing this part of our story allows us to move forward on our journey - a journey from sin and death to freedom and life.

     In the reading from Romans today, Paul asks "What does Scripture say?"  The Scriptures are our story.  The Scriptures are our life blood.  The Scriptures are our foundation.  We are reminded that God's "word is near, in your mouth and in your heart". 

     So place the Word of God in your hearts as well as on your lips.  Enter this time of grace and blessing in the Lenten Season with anticipation and joy.  Purify your lives, be hungry in your hearts, seek him in his Word, and live.  This is the heritage that we received from our ancestors.  This is our story that we tell today.  This is the untold story of the Church of tomorrow.