Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 420

Because you are haughty of heart,
you say, “A god am I!
I occupy a godly throne
in the heart of the sea!”—
And yet you are a man, and not a god,
however you may think yourself like a god.

Historians tell us that the mideast of Abraham's time was already pocked with marks of ancient, lost civilizations. Passersby saw ruins of former cities, castles, and walls as they traveled dusty roadsthrough valleys and along rivers.

The Jewish people knew what they meant because they, more than any other nation, appreciate the reality of history. They had been charged since the days of Abraham and Sarah with remembering the covenant of the Lord. They were, and are, the people of God; and to forget that is to invite God's jealous wrath. Just as a husband should never -- even for a moment -- forget the covenant he has made with his wife, God's people must never forget who they are, and to whom they belong. 

So the Jews of Ezekiel's time already had a very long memory; they had seen cities rise and fall, empires conquer and be conquered. And there was Tyre, the impregnable island within sight of the (now) Lebanese coast with its magnificent harbor. Its island location gave it access to the distant lands of the Mediterranean Sea including Spain, North Africa, Greece, and Egypt. No army in the world could assail it; it would surely retain its sovereign power forever! 

We've seen them come; we've seen them go. We might not know how a superpower will fall. But it will. In 332 BC, Tyrians watched from their island the Greek army of Alexander the Great create a mole from the mainland to the island, which remains to this day. He added the once great city to his empire as he passed on to Egypt, North Africa, and then Asia and India. 

Because you have thought yourself

to have the mind of a god,

Therefore I will bring against you

foreigners, the most barbarous of nations.

They shall draw their swords

against your beauteous wisdom,

they shall run them through your splendid apparel.

They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die

a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.

It doesn't take a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing; and anyone with common sense can remind tyrants that they, their power, and their powerbase will collapse under the irresistible, patient forces of wind, water, and continental drift; not to mention technological progress and cultural development. "Enjoy it while you can, Brother, but don't invest you soul in it." 

It's said of the leaders of some nations, like  Xi Jinping, of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia, that they play the long game. But our God plays a far longer game as he prepares a holy people for the coming of the Kingdom of God. We see That Day only with the eyes of faith and hearts of hope. Scientific and technological progress mean nothing, and cannot add to its appearance.  

But technological power also whittles away any excuses we may offer for foolishness. As much as it might serve for good; it is also supremely useful for evil. And its usually the merchants of death who use it first; they understand its possibilities and have nothing to lose by exploiting it. 

The faithful watch, pray, and praise God. We remember the mighty deeds that outlast this passing world. Reminded by faithful prophets, we also remember our sins and their long history. But the Word of the Lord plays the long game; it endures forever. And our sins, revealed by the Cross of Christ, will prove His Mercy.