The prophet Jeremiah paints a bleak and gloomy picture of a people who have, despite God's constant invitations, continued to walk "in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts." This path does not lead to development or fulfillment. In fact it only leads to stagnation and even retardation: rather than going forward we go backwards. The results of this decay are evident in the Gospels. The failure of some of the people to recognise the source of Jesus' authority and power fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiah that Truth shall be cut from their lips. The people have become so disconnected from Truth, that when it stands amongst them, they fail to see it and perceive something alien and even diabolic.
During Lent we are given the opportunity to focus on how we have allowed ourselves to be cut off from Truth: how we have allowed ourselves to be blinkered from God's invitation to live in fullness with him, but we can rejoice. To borrow from Tony Blair: God does not have a reverse gear! Not even the despair and suffering of the cross can stop the fruitfulness that it offers to the world to share in. Even situations where it seems Truth perishes are turned by God into something not only positive but the most positive of things: an action that not only heals the world's relationship with the Truth and love of God but allows the world now to be even closer to the Truth which it has rejected. When we enter into this relationship with the paschal mystery we can only move forward. There may be times that we might not be aware of the growth and development that the grace of God brings within us but when we reach our final destination we will be fully aware of its extent
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