The Hound of Heaven by Arnold Biago SVD
First Reading Ez 2:2-5
I make a lot of complains about almost anything that does not work well according to my preference or generally acceptable standards. I complain about faucets left with water still dripping because its a waste. I complain about inattentive waiters in expensive restaurants because I deserve it after all I am a paying customer. Its natural for humans to complain when ones expectations are not met.
God’s expectation is expressed as His Will. The Bible tells so often of many stories where the people of Israel or humanity in general ignores or turns away from God’s Will. The creation tells us the story of Adam and Eve rejecting God’s command to stay away from the forbidden tree. The people of Israel while in the dessert on the way to the Promise Land, in the moment of absence of Moses choose to fabricate and worship the golden calf.
God has a solid basis for telling Ezekiel in the first reading that “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day“.
If its us as parents, faced with such “rebellious” or disappointing child we could have declared in frustration, “you are no longer my son/daughter!”
But God is way better than us, instead of disowning us or giving up on us, He sent special envoys like Ezekiel in our midst. Not only great prophets but God sent even his only Son, Jesus despite knowing that his Son will also be rejected. God’s faithfulness to us is without end.`
The Hound of Heaven is a poem by an English poet Francis Thomson that compares the God and his grace to that of a persistent hound chasing its prey relentlessly not giving up on it. Indeed, God’s fidelity is relentless.
Éditions Verbum Bible 