On God’s Holy Mountain – Week 2

Week 1          Week 2          Week 3          Week 4          Week 5

In chapter 11, vs 6, Isaiah spoke movingly of life on God’s Holy Mountain, portraying a place where seemingly incompatible creatures would find the ability to live together. In our last post, we looked at groups of people that we have become alienated from and suggested that through prayer we could start to look for ways to bridge the chasms that separate us. In this post and subsequent ones we will look at some of these groups and for ways that build on our prayers to help resolve the conflicts that separate us.

Let us select one or more people from the following groups that we have become alienated from:

Someone I disagree with,
The person I don’t like,
Someone who makes me really angry,
The person I hate.

Let us begin with prayer, asking God to show us the path along which we can bridge the alienation we feel either to or from someone in this group.

Next let us think of one concrete action we could take, that we either have been afraid to take before, or too angry to take, that would begin to connect us positively with that person. It may be sending an email, or dropping a note in the mail, sending a birthday wish or making a phone call, or even just a smile if our paths cross on the street.

Let us then see what reaction our effort at outreach has caused. Did the person we disagree with show a positive response to our outreach? What about the person I don’t like, did I soften my heart? Did my attitude change to the person I am angry with after reaching out? And to the person I might hate, did I examine the source of my hatred and perhaps try and shift it to a less passionate feeling? Overall, did I receive warm responses, or was I treated with continued hostility? Depending on the extent of the alienation, people may have reacted differently to my outreach.

Finally, let us again reflect on God’s holy mountain, and indeed how difficult it is for us to inhabit the space where the wolf shall be the guest of the lamb. Let us realize how in reaching out to others in humility, our humanity has expanded, and that through prayer and hard work we can help populate God’s holy mountain.