By Steve Hall
At the conclusion of our previous reflection, we were peacefully traveling along the river of the divine plan, with myriad stars filling the nighttime sky. That image may sometimes be true, but periods of treacherous waters are more common. Those in the boat are regularly subjected to the siren song of allurements …
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Isaiah 7:1-9
Matthew 11:20-24
Following my most recent reflection, someone observed that I seemed seriously engaged with the notion of God’s plan. At the time, I could do little but agree, but upon reading today's Scriptures, the reason for that obsession became obvious: the Scripture readings continually suggest paying attention to the divine program. So it was with today's text as well.
At the conclusion of that previous reflection, we were peacefully traveling along the river of the divine plan, with myriad stars filling the nighttime sky. That image may sometimes be true, but periods of treacherous waters are more common. Those in the boat are regularly subjected to the siren song of allurements beckoning from shore or passing islands. The rough waters of uncertainty tempt those aboard to seek easier, less demanding currents for passage.
Brief sections of calm and slow waters present opportunities for seeking self-devised programs of escape to alternate, more interesting lifestyles. Storms cast doubt on earlier decisions to embark on the voyage. Then, too, there are those direct attacks from the outside, such as we read of in today’s passage from Isaiah.
It’s easy to understand why those in the boat, Jerusalem, would have feared for their country, their city, their lives. Pirates from Aram and even Israel had fired upon them. So far, the attacks had been unsuccessful. It is no wonder that “the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled.” But in the face of that invading storm, the Captain sent word to the crew and passengers: “Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail … This shall not stand, it shall not be!” That has been, and continues to be, the constant message our Captain sends; and he has always proved true. As the responsorial verse says: “God upholds his city for ever.”
The theme carries forward into the gospel. There were those who should have known better in their judgment of Jesus. They had heard the Words. They had seen the signs and wonders. But they had failed to heed the Father’s witness and approval of the event unfolding before their very eyes. Jesus, like Isaiah before him, countered their attack with a judgment similar to Isaiah: “This shall not stand, it shall not be!”
While it is not always evident, there are no genuine setbacks, no failures, no mistaken currents. Inexorably, the boat moves along, always toward that pre-ordained end: “to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
Be careful to stay in the boat. Not all sharks are in the water.