We are just like them ...
They strayed from the Lord and brought great suffering upon themselves.
By Lou Occhi
Fortunately, we are not like the people of Judah. We are much more civilized than they were. We do not seek power, and we do not turn on those who have opposing points of view. After all, we have large screen TVs and cell phones. We would never fall into the same stupid trap as… Wait a minute… we are just like them!
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
Isaiah 40:1-11
Matthew 18:12-14
Today’s first reading from Isaiah 40:1-11 is to comfort the Jews who were released after 70 years of captivity by the Babylonians in 516 BC. Since Isaiah lived around 739 to 681 BC, it is generally accepted that an anonymous prophet wrote chapters 40 through 66. The latter part of the book is known as Deutero-Isaiah. In time, all 66 chapters were combined into one book.
Leading up to the captivity, the Jews in Judah had fallen into idolatry and were politically divided into two parties. One party supported Egypt, and the other Babylon. Egypt defeated Nebuchadnezzar in Battle. Judah took advantage of Egypt’s victory and revolted against Babylon. In response, Nebuchadnezzar pillaged Jerusalem and took the leaders of Jerusalem captive. Despite the prophet Jeremiah’s warnings, the pro-Babylonian party aligned itself with the Pharaoh of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar returned, defeated the Egyptians, and besieged Jerusalem again. In the process, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, its city wall, and the temple. Judah then became a Babylonian province called Yehud. Thus began the Babylonian captivity in 516 BC. This period of captivity lasted approximately 70 years, fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy: “This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
In 539 BC, the Persian Empire under the leadership of Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon. Cyrus issued a decree that allowed the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. The decree in Ezra 1:1-4 says, “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he proclaimed all his kingdom. He also put it in writing: ‘Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
This proclamation is remarkable because it acknowledges the sovereignty of the God of Israel from a pagan king. Also, it fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 45:1 long before Cyrus was born: “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed.”
Today’s reading from Isaiah begins with consolation and comfort for those in captivity. The Lord says their guilt is expiated. Indeed, they have received double the punishment for their sins. Now they can resume their lives without guilt and begin to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.
The following three verses allude to the coming of John the Baptist and the messiah, with the first few words declaring, “A voice cries out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord.”
In verses 6-8, the Lord points out that the things of this earth will pass away. There is no need to worry about earthly things; they will wither and fade. But the word of the Lord lasts forever.
Verses 9-10 tell the people to go out and proclaim to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God”. He comes with power. Verse 11 finishes off by reminding the people that God is like a shepherd who feeds His flock and gathers the lambs in His arms.
The reading from Isaiah flows smoothly into the psalm with the responsorial verses, “The Lord our God comes with power.” The psalm flows right into the Gospel Acclamation with “The day of the Lord is near, He comes to save us.”
The gospel is no different than the other readings. Matthew recounts Jesus’ parable about the lost sheep. The shepherd leaves ninety-nine of his sheep to search for one lost sheep. He rejoices more over finding the one lost sheep than the ninety-nine that did not stray.
The people of Judah had strayed from the Lord and brought great suffering upon themselves. In time, the Lord, like the shepherd, rescues His people who had strayed away.
Fortunately, we are not like the people of Judah. We are much more civilized than they were. We do not seek power, and we do not turn on those who have opposing points of view. After all, we have large screen TVs and cell phones. We would never fall into the same stupid trap as…! Wait a minute, we are just like them. Over more than two thousand years, and we are still making the same mistakes.
When I look back at this whole story from Isaiah, the common theme is division. We need to remember that the word demon derives from the word divide, and the hatred we see is demonic. Our country is politically divided, but it is not just us. It is the whole world. What can we do?
In this country, we have leaders on both sides of our division. Somehow, I tend to forget we have only one leader, Jesus Christ, king of heaven and earth. As king, He needs soldiers. Soldiers need a weapon to fight the battle for peace, and have to be willing to use it with reckless abandon. That weapon is prayer. The Franciscan monks wear their rosary on the left side. Why? Because you wear your sword on the left side. In Catholic tradition, the rosary is considered a very effective prayer. It is a meditation on the life of Christ from conception to the reunion with His mother in heaven. Everyone has their own favorite method of prayer. Whatever it is, use it with great fervor. In addition, let us look at our commonality rather than our differences. Remember, we were all created by our Father in heaven, we are all brothers in Christ, and all temples of the Holy Spirit.
As we prepare for the coming of Jesus during Advent, let us remember that Jesus gave us peace, peace that the world cannot provide. Let us continue to pass that peace on to all around us, as in the Prayer of St Francis.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
The first reading is from the very short book of Jonah. This book is divided into four parts.
Jonah’s disobedience and flight.
Jonah’s prayer.
Jonah’s obedience and the Ninevites’ repentance.
Jonah’s anger and God’s reproof.
We don’t know whether any part of the book is based on fact, satire, or irony. Yet, there are elements of teaching, and elements that parallel events in Jesus’ life.
The first reading is limited to the second half of the book. To understand the reading, it is necessary to recall the contents of the entire book in the order in which it is written.