Boasting of God is perfect and complete when we take no pride in our own righteousness but acknowledge that we are utterly lacking in true righteousness and have been made righteous only by faith in Christ. Humanity, there is nothing left for you to boast of, for your boasting and hope lie in putting to death all that is your own and seeking the future life that is in Christ.

—Basil the Great, Homily 20.3.31

Since we were too weak to discover the truth by pure reasoning and therefore needed the authority of sacred writings, I now began to believe that you [God] would never have conferred such preeminent authority on the scripture, now diffused through all lands, unless you had willed that it would be a means of coming to truth in you and a means of seeking to know you. The authority of the Bible seemed the more to be venerated and more worthy of a holy faith on the ground that it was open to everyone to read, while keeping the dignity of its secret meaning for a profounder interpretation.

—Augustine, Confessions 6.5.8

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied. “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.” Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.

—Genesis 46:1-6a (TNIV)

One of the problems I have in reading stories from the Bible is that I sometimes fall into the trap of familiarity. I have read these stories enough times that I know what is going to happen (and consequently miss their lessons on occasion). But that is not the way real life works, is it? We aren’t privy to our futures. We don’t know how the events of this world will turn out. Likewise with Jacob and his extended family.

That is why I appreciate the above passage. Notice that God appears to Jacob to reaffirm his covenant promises to him. It is not unreasonable to think that Jacob had some anxiety about moving his family to Egypt. What would happen to him when he got there? Was Joseph really alive? Would his family face danger living in a foreign land? Would God be with him? Jacob likely would have asked himself some of these questions precisely because he didn’t have knowledge of future events.

But God knows this. He knows our hearts. He knows our hopes and dreams and fears. And so God appeared to Jacob before he set out on his journey. God told Jacob not to be afraid, that God was with him, that God was faithful to his promises, and that Jacob could take that to the bank. Jacob did take God’s promises to heart and responded in obedience, embarking for Egypt immediately.

The God who loves and created Jacob loves you too. He knows your future. He knows your hopes and dreams and fears. He promises to be with you in your journey here on earth and bids you not to be afraid, even when things look terribly bleak or dark. Do you trust God enough to believe him? Will you accept his offer and respond in obedience to God and his promises? This Lenten season think on these things. Talk to other faithful souls and share your “God moments” to help you realize that God is indeed with you. Read Scripture to learn (or be reminded of) God’s power and purposes. Read to learn about the efficacy of God. Doing so will help you grow in your trust and obedience to this wondrous God of ours.

Let us lead good lives and while we lead good lives let us not think that we are without sin. Living a life that is praiseworthy includes begging pardon for things that are blameworthy. This is the example that David gave us when he confessed his sins to God [over his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband]. He was his own prosecutor and judge and so he was able to ask to be spared. Sin is punished either by man repenting or by God judging. What is repentance but being angry with oneself? Give your heart a shaking by repentance and this will be a sacrifice to God.

—Augustine, Sermon 19.2

There are certain imitations of true virtues as also of vices which play tricks with the heart and bedazzle the mind’s vision. As a result, the appearance of goodness often seems to be something which is evil, and equally the appearance of evil seems to be something good. This is part of our wretchedness and ignorance, causing us anguish and anxiety. To avoid this peril, St. John gives us these words of advice: “Test the spirits to see if they are from God.” Now no one can test the spirits to see if they are from God unless God has given us discernment. True discernment is a combination of right thinking and good intention.

—Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, Treatise 6

Heh. Baldwin certainly did anticipate the revisionists of today, who, by subtly changing the use of traditional language, change and distort the Truth of the Christian faith. For those who wish to know the Truth, today more than ever, a discerning heart and mind are needed, a heart a mind animated and led by the very Spirit of God, guided by tradition, and held accountable by other faithful Christians.

Jesus is wearied with his journey, that he may refresh the weary.

—Ambrose, Of the Christian Faith, 5.4.54

If Christ gave himself up to death at the right time for those who were unbelievers and enemies of God, how much more will he protect us with his help if we believe in him! So if he died for his enemies, just think what he can do for his friends!

—Ambrosiaster, Commentary on Paul’s Epistles