out of order?
"Rebekah had been listening while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau." —Genesis 27:5
Rebekah loved her son, Jacob, more than she loved her husband, Isaac. Therefore, she had no qualms about deceiving Isaac so as to further Jacob's interests. Rebekah put her motherhood before her marriage. Rebekah had her relationships out of order. This set the stage for a series of lies in which Jacob got a "dose of his own medicine" (see Gn 29:23ff; 37:32ff). Jacob suffered tragically throughout his life as a victim of his own deceptions and those of others.
Are any of your relationships out of order? Is there anyone you love more than you love God? That is a misplaced primacy of love, and it is destructive to yourself and the one you love. Do you love your friends more than your parents and family? Be careful not to undermine the very foundations of your life. Are you like Rebekah? Do you love your child more than you love your spouse? If so, you are setting the stage for a divorce, which will seriously hurt you, your spouse, and your children. Do you love your friends or fellow workers more than you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? If so, you are not living your Baptism fully and faithfully. This will have harmful consequences.
By God's grace, put your relationships in God's order by repentance, forgiveness, and obedience. Otherwise, your life is an accident waiting to happen.
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to convict me of any disorders in my relationships (Jn 16:8).
Promise: "When the day comes that the Groom is taken away, then they will fast." —Mt 9:15
Praise: St. Anthony preached: "We should love and feel compassion for those who oppose us...since they harm themselves and do us good."
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape God's Plan for Parenting on audio AV 16A-1 or video V-16A.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, December 29, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 31, 2002