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Friday, March 6, 2009

Read: Deuteronomy 10:12-22

“He gives justice to orphans and widows. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.”(10:18)

In Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s work, “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”, Ivan and Alyoshka are two of millions imprisoned in a Siberia slave labor camp for countless years, on baseless charges.

At the end of the day, Ivan thanks God for a good-enough place to sleep. Alyoshka, a Baptist, asks him, “why not pray to God?” Ivan angrily replies that prayer is useless because God’s answer is only “rejection”; that’s why they are still in this worst situation. Alyoshka explains patiently that it is not about what we pray for; one should pray for daily bread and the things of the Spirit, so the Lord will take evil things from our heart. But Ivan insists, “You can pray as much as you like, but prayer won’t take your sentence away; you still stay there every day from reveille to lights out.”

Alyoshka replies, “What do you want freedom for? Rejoice that you are in prison. Here you can think of your soul.” From Alyoshka’s perspective, it seems he’s glad for his life in the prison camp.

After the dialogue with Alyoshka, Ivan is not sure if he really wants his freedom.

Finally, he counts his good fortune to be in this community, and happily falls to sleep.

Ivan had discovered his comfortable zone in the prison camp because he had finally found his community, his friends, his “brothers”.

Reflection questions

What is my comfort zone?

Does my comfort come from God or from another source?

Am I so satisfied within my own comfort zone that I fail to adapt to or accept the big challenges in my life?

Oh lord, you care for the birds flying in the sky and the flowers blossoming on the earth. So surely, you won’t neglect us, your lambs. Lord, thank you so much. However Lord, please open my eyes so that I can see you in every circumstance, and clear my ears so that I can listen to you, especially when I am in obscure situations in life. Then I can rejoice again and count the grace from you. Amen. 

Appendix

Deuteronomy 10:12-22 

  ¹² And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

 ¹⁴ To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. ¹⁵ Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. ¹⁶ Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. ¹⁷ For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. ²⁰ Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. ²¹ He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. ²² Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.