Thursday of Week 19
in Ordinary Time
Joshua 3:7-17
The story continues.
Yesterday Moses is shown the Promised Land knowing he will not enter
before he dies. Today we hear about
Joshua, about how the community of Israel sees in him an authority…a vocation
to lead in the line of Moses. There is
continuity. The promise continues to
unfold but not without a grueling 40 years!
It is a complex phenomenon, to give over to someone the
authority to lead. Authority presumed or
taken is suspect. It isn’t authority at
all unless ratified.
Who do I give authority to and why? It is easiest to give to someone who isn’t
looking for it. I give authority to
those I really listen to. My listening
implies that I want to be changed by the life and words of this person. When I give over authority to someone ‘in
authority’, I first sit, treasuring my role as ratifier.
I take my time. I
sit. Are you for real? Is your word coming from deep in your
bones? Is your faith sometimes not
perfectly neat and tidy? Are you all
answers or do you burst with pondering questions? Who are you?
Just as Israel listened for the authority of new vocations
So for me…May I be a generous listener
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