Hence we find in the 20th Chapter of Exodus, that after having forbidden His people to adore strange gods, He adds these words: "I am the Lord, thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me."
And in Chapter 34 we read: "Adore not any strange god. The Lord His name is Jealous; He is a Jealous God." Second. He takes the name of the Jealous God, because He pursues with indignation and is intent upon removing whatever hinders the salvation of souls whom He loves as His spouses and His daughters and whose salvation He sovereignly desires. Third. Because as a Jealous Spouse, He is indignant against souls consecrated to His service if they love anything outside of Himself and for any other reason than for Him; or if they delight in things of the world and do not apply themselves to please Him in everything.
Link (here) to the book entitled The Names of God by Fr. Leonard Lessius, S.J.
1 comment:
Many don't understand that there is an obligation to believe that whatever God tells you is true. The truth is created - regardless of other considerations - other realities, one might say. Thus, God is Jealous. Jealousy derives from necessity. The necessity of Man.
I believe that the confusion about "what is true" is usually based in childish logic -- with platitudes like "God is Great", "God is Truth", "God is Love", "God is Jealous" or "God is Mighty" echoing in people's thoughts. They forget that God creates truth - dynamically. (There are, after all, Bible stories where we find situations where God tells someone to do something that seems to contradict these values.)
Instead, we have worldly logic with oversimplified piousness. We try to justify Jealousy with our dictionary definitions, or conjecture about how God has particular qualities that resonate with our understanding of Jealousy. Over and over again I meet people who create such a chasm between themselves and God. When someone insists that "God is Jealous" they don't understand that truth is constructed, and it is not worldly truth - it is a greater truth. Similarly, the pious insist that God is Great without any understanding -- driving themselves further from God with the interpretations and values that flow from their childish logic.
Considering God to be Jealous is an obligation for Catholics. If God should reveal himself to you, and you encounter no jealousy, then jealousy was not necessary for your particular lessons in this material existence.
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