Measuring God

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Saturday, September 27

Reading: Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15a

I raised my eyes and looked, and there was a man with a measuring cord in his hand.  I asked, “Where are you going?” And he said, “To measure Jerusalem—to see how great its width is and how great its length.”

Then the angel who spoke with me advanced as another angel came out to meet him and he said to the latter, “Run, speak to that official: Jerusalem will be unwalled, because of the abundance of people and beasts in its midst.  I will be an encircling wall of fire for it—oracle of the Lord—and I will be the glory in its midst.”

Sing and rejoice, daughter Zion! Now, I am coming to dwell in your midst—oracle of the Lord.  Many nations will bind themselves to the Lord on that day. They will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.

Reflection: Measuring God 

How much is a quintillion…more than a trillion? How much money did the event make? How many people attended? Who is the wealthiest celebrity?  As humans we focus on what we can amass and quantify: wealth, status, influence or success. We measure our worth by the degrees we hold, the balance in our bank account, the number of followers on various social media platforms.  

The man with the “measuring cord” in today’s Scripture sets out to measure the length and width of Jerusalem to determine its greatness and potential influence. But the square footage or mapping of cartography does nothing to convey the height and depth of God’s love for His people. How could that reality possibly be quantified? 

I imagine the longest measuring tape, a scale groaning under a heavy weight, an overflowing sack, a digital display counting towards infinity,

I feel the vastness of these numbers, and I realize they are nothing compared to the expansiveness of God’s love for me. 

Prayer

Dear God, please reveal to us
your sublime beauty
that is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere
so that we will never again
feel frightened.
My divine love, my love,
Please let us touch
your face.

– St. Francis of Assisi

Published by jencoito

Jen Coito is a California native with diverse experience in parish, academic, and national ministry settings. She has a Masters in Pastoral Theology from Loyola Marymount University. She worked for the California Province of Jesuits for seven years promoting Christian Life Community on university campuses and other diverse ethnic settings. Jen has collaborated on the creation of formation materials, discernment tools, and small group processes that are being used around the country in Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, and English. In 2013, Jen and Jesuit priest Fr. Tri Dinh co-founded Christus Ministries out of a desire to engage local young adults and form young-adult friendly parishes. Jen works for the Sisters of Notre Dame in California as the Associate Director of Mission Advancement. Jen, Jason, and their three children live in Southern California. You can read more of Jen's writings at www.jencoito.com.

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