An Unwavering Love

By Julián Carrón - How God’s Unwavering Love and Persistent Outreach Call Us to Embrace His Grace and Avoid the Path of Stubbornness

Last Sunday, we heard, 'I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.' This event had such a profound impact on the people of Israel that it kept them steadfastly devoted to their God. Even God Himself was moved, as He expresses through the words of Jeremiah: 'I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown' (Jeremiah 2:2). 

However, this love waned as the people faced the trials of history, leading the Lord to question, 'What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves (Jeremiah 2:5). 

They forgot the Lord who had brought them out of Egypt, they didn't ask, 'Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness?' (Jeremiah 2:6). Even those meant to guide them were negligent: 'The priests didn’t ask, "Where is the Lord?" Those who dealt with the law didn't know me. The leaders rebelled against me. 

The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols (Jeremiah 2:8). Through the journey of the people of Israel, we can understand the beginning of today's first reading: 'The leaders of Judah, the priests, and the people increased their unfaithfulness by imitating the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.' Despite their unfaithfulness, 'The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers repeatedly, because he pitied his people and on his dwelling place.' This is our God, one who tirelessly and urgently acts out of compassion for us. 

This unwavering care expected an equally earnest response from Israel. It was God's final act of mercy toward them, but instead of listening, they mocked God's messengers, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets,' including the last one sent, the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke to them in the name of the Lord, yet they didn't listen. What more could the Lord have done that He hadn't already done? The text continues: 'The Lord's anger against his people was so great that there was no remedy' (2 Chronicles 36:12-13). But we shouldn't see the Lord's anger as a punitive action against His people; the prophet Hosea reminds us, 'I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, not a man' (Hosea 11:9)."

This passage reflects on the Israelites' faithfulness to God and their eventual turning away despite God's persistent and compassionate outreach. It serves as a reminder of the steadfastness of divine compassion, contrasted with human fickleness and forgetfulness.

So, what does God do? What does this wrath mean? When God has exhausted all his initiatives, and only the stubbornness of his people remains, what can He do? "I continue to be the God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. But my people did ’t listen to my voice, and Israel did ’t obey me. 

Therefore, I have no choice but to let them go, to the stubbornness of their hearts, to follow their own designs." It's like the prodigal son's father, who, faced with his son's stubbornness, doesn't punish him but lets him go. What else could he do but let him experience the consequences of his choice? Such stubbornness has implications. When Israel chose to trust in chariots and horses rather than in God, despite His demonstrated care for them, the Babylonians invaded. 

The scriptures detail the ensuing devastation: "They set fire to the temple of the Lord, broke down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all its precious objects," resulting in the Israelites' exile to Babylon. In their exile, reminiscent of the prodigal son's journey, they could recognize and appreciate the God who had so diligently cared for them. It seems this exile served as God's final measure when faced with their stubbornness.

This dynamic we've described hasn't stopped, as seen in the Gospel. God's passion for us is unending, and He ceaselessly begins anew to demonstrate it. This reaches its height when He says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. [For] God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." "God has no interest in judging man.

 He is pure love that gives His only Son to the world, out of love" (Balthasar). Indeed, Saint Paul insists in the second reading: "But because of His great love for us, God, who's rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions‌ — ‌it's by grace you've been saved. 

And God raised us with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." God can go as far as to give His own Son for us, even when we are sinners, but He can't do for us what only we can do: freely accept His love. The Church offers us Lent as an opportunity to realize the extraordinary richness of His grace and God's passion for us. Let's hope we don't waste it and don't need any exile to understand and accept this grace.
Unrevised notes and translation by the author - Milan 03.10.2024