"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
When I read this passage of Romans, I think of my non-Christian friends who claim to be without faith. And yet, I know otherwise from the stories they've told. In their most raw and exposed and vulnerable moments, they have found themselves uttering words of thankfulness or mercy to God. They have had concrete, palpable experiences of passing through a deep threat into safety. And they have known upon arrival, they were delivered by someone other than their own selves. The mouth sometimes betrays us -- it can reveal our true self, the one that senses a wider mystery.
Where does knowledge of salvation come from? Is it ritual and worship and scripture reading? Certainly. Is it the communal if not individual memory of baptism? Maybe. Or is it something else? Instinct or experience? All of these things? I like to think our hearts may be our guide, that our hearts know things our intellect does not always. St. Paul assures us, the Word is near us, on our lips and in our hearts. We need not look to far away places but to what is close, often deeply within.
Reflection
Prayer
God of mercy, in these forty days of desert wandering, reveal to us your deep wisdom and saving grace. Amen
- What does your heart, imagination, and belief tell you about salvation?
- What does salvation look like if you had to choose an image?
Prayer
God of mercy, in these forty days of desert wandering, reveal to us your deep wisdom and saving grace. Amen
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