Advent Reflection: Are you smarter than God?: Friday, December 9, 2022

There was a game show that posed a question: Are you smarter than a 5th grader? The idea was to ask content questions about various topics that made up a typical 5th grade curriculum. Often, the adults were not, in fact, smarter than a 5th grader. And yet, it is not always the case that we take seriously this question: Are you smarter than God? The problem is that there are too many times where we might be tempted to say yes. Yes, we are smarter than God. I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go. The prophet Isaiah spends a lot of time helping the people consider the question about what God knows and what they do. God teaches us, through his word and his Church what it is we should do, and yet too often we choose to do whatever we want and not consider what God wants. But we do not always want to be taught by God. We think we know better. There is a gospel verse that is too hard. There is something in the Old Testament that is too obscure. God could not possible mean what those verses say? Love your enemies? Pray for your persecutors?