Order and Chaos

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

There is a striking contrast between the first reading and the gospel today; in one, we see obedience to God bring order, and in the other, chaos.

In the first reading, God Himself is bringing order to the lives of the Israelites who follow Him, by parceling out time for them and ordering it according to key festivals and jubilees that serve as milestones. It provides a comforting framework within which they can peacefully live once settled in the Promised Land.

In the gospel, faithfulness to God and his mission brings chaos to the life of John the Baptist. Not only had he lived a hard life, subsisting on locusts and wild honey in the desert (cf. Mt. 3:4); he was now to suffer a violent and cruel death in the prime of his life, based on the silly whim of the reigning monarch.

In reality, our world is full of both order and chaos. The order comes from God, and the chaos, from original and personal sin. What is different about the life of the faithful Christian is not necessarily that it contains a higher dose of either than the life of anyone else. Rather, what is different is that, for the person who trusts in God, He superimposes a deeper and more powerful order upon the whole mix, such that both the elements of order and those of chaos in our lives make sense against a deeper backdrop of order. By trusting Him and giving our lives to Him, we enable Him to weave both the logical and the random elements of our lives into a beautiful pattern of love.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that the only order you need is the same one that He lived by: The Father’s loving Providence for you, whether it is manifested in beautiful, harmonious, orderly, enriching gifts, or chaotic suffering and deprivation that enables you to grow closer to Him and contribute to salvation. Ask Jesus to help you always keep the focus of your priority on His will and trust in His Providence.