Come

‘Come, let us return to the Lord;
for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the earth.’

Hosea 6:1-3

I had a dog, Rosie, who seemed immune to the word "come". She was a beagle...a breed that has the urge to track and run embedded in its being. To stop and change course and return to her mistress was not only undesirable...I think it was also painful, because it was literally against her nature. Perhaps if she had been a part of a pack of beagles that had at least one well trained member who responded to the call to "come", she would have gotten the message. The instinct to herd together with one's pack would have served Rosie well. She would have simply ended up in the right place as a result of staying close to her more disciplined companions. On her own, she seemed clueless...and totally unresponsive.





Sometimes I am more like Rosie than I care to admit. I get on the track of some plan or goal that captivates my attention and I am literally off and running. Left on my own I eventually wander back to what is essential, but my course in the mean time is wandering and often counter productive. It may even be perilous. It certainly is not as solid and sure as the path is when I am attentive to the call of the Lord to stay close to His guiding precepts.

On the days when I am motivated by narrow desires and selfish ambitions I need the "pack" of others to remind me to return to the path that leads home. I need the voices of the church...of the prophets and saints speaking through the ages. "Come, let us return to the Lord!"

The readings of the first week of Advent remind us of the dangers and perils of the world around us...and the spiritual darkness that surrounds us. Today let us incline our ears to the soft but solid call to return...Come!

I give thanks for the "pack"!