Harvest, Death, Judgement, Doom: Decision.

Today’s reading from the prophet Joel describes a massive horde of people, all the nations gathered down in a valley, with God seated on the mountain above them. It is harvest-time, the time of recompense and retribution; it is judgment day, the LORD’s day.

Apply the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe;
Come and tread,
for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow,
for great is their malice.
Crowd upon crowd
in the valley of decision;
For near is the day of the LORD
in the valley of decision.
– Joel 4

The place of decision is described as a valley. In Scripture, generally the word ‘valley’ is a metaphor for a spiritual low place, distant from God, while mountain-tops are places of encounter, where God descends to dwell among us and we rise up to meet Him. Thus, decision is here associated with distance from God and looming consequences.

The word decision here refers explicitly to the LORD’s decision about the crowds below. However, in my own reflection this word stands out in the foreground like a searing firebrand.. Inasmuch as this passage refers to the LORD’s power of Judgement over us and the whole world, it also evokes the theme of decision. It refers to the individual’s power of decision, to my decision, my lack of decision, the pressing need to decide, looking for courage, not knowing, waiting. It begs us and warns us to accept the reality of our power and the consequences that flow irrevocably outward.

A narrow pass in the mountains? This leaves little room for error. There is only one path forward, and the task at hand is simply to put one foot in front of the other, no matter how arduous, no matter how heavy. No matter if you must pause between each step to gather strength for the next. The simplicity is a blessing that enables us to focus all of our spirit. We can gather our strength. We can find the resolve within to accomplish nearly unthinkable feats.

But a broad, deep valley? A valley in shadow? This is a place we can wander, lose the path, lose ourselves. Patience with ambiguity? Anxiety about the results or choices that are now out of our hands, beyond our decision? These are a labyrinth, a dark forest. The strength within us cries out for a task to accomplish. Instead we are forced to… do nothing? Breathe? Carry on, though lost? Stand tall and… wait? Scramble and climb?

Deep in the valley, we look down at our feet as we trod forward. If we stop to look up, we may find that we’ve lost sight of the mountain. We can start to run in circles, spending ourselves and getting nowhere. And then again we may find ourselves at a new vista, with peaks unimagined towering above us. But too many possibilities scatter our spirit and weaken our resolve. Without a map, or compass, or path, or landmarks, or a guide…

It is far too simplistic, too easy, to say to the lost, “Follow Christ”. I daresay that for most of us, living in the modern world, that Christ is a figure shrouded in great deeds, in miracles, in challenging parables, in thousands of years of history, in bread and wine. Is wisdom so readily accessible? To command love of neighbor will seem like nothing more than a platitude to the man in the thick of the brambles and the mud, lost deep in the valley. What he needs is a way out, or rather, a way through.

I recall here the words of the Catechism:

The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant. – CCC 2563

The valley is not a place of triumph. It is the place of struggle that comes before victory or defeat. The human heart, my heart, is not yet triumphant. It is militant. It struggles. It is a valley in shadow.

I have spent enough time and spirit climbing and climbing upward, with painful mistakes along the way, in order to find a vista, to see in the distance the mountain wreathed in mists and light, to know just how difficult the journey is, and yet all I have attained is a distant view. The broad, dark valley full of treachery, blindness, and dead ends still lies before me.

I do not go alone. I have my spouse, my faithful bride and the children she has given me. She comforts me, but at times I feel the weight of responsibility more than that comfort.

My reflection today is dark and suits my mood and the gloomy autumn skies. My prayer today is “Thy Kingdom Come.” Saint Paul, pray for me.

Mr. Wolfsfroth
IG: @wolfsfroth