Jeremiah was sent to warn
those on their way into the Temple.
Evidently, their religious practices didn’t go deep enough to please the God to whom they were giving lip service.
- They didn’t need a deeper bow here, a longer prayer there.
- They needed to rediscover who they were and why God had created them.
- And to do that, they needed to rediscover God’s covenant love for them
- —that he longed to “remain with them in this place” if only they would return to him (Jeremiah 7:7).
It’s helpful for us, too, to take a step back from time to time and rediscover who we are and what God wants for us.
- Are we experiencing our full heritage in Christ?
- Are we living in the freedom of God’s children?
- Are we bringing his unconditional love into our everyday situations?
Perhaps it is a good idea to set aside time once a year for a longer period of reflection on questions like these.
- Not everyone can make a weeklong retreat
- , but everyone can find at least a morning to step aside from our daily routine
- and go to a place where God can more easily get our attention.
- It may be a local retreat center,
- your parish reservation chapel,
- or even a favorite spot on the beach or in the mountains.
