Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 390

In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,
Rezin, king of Aram,
and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,
went up to attack Jerusalem,
but they were not able to conquer it.
When word came to the house of David that Aram
was encamped in Ephraim,
the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,
as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

British history seems to enchant many Americans. I've met several people who are fascinated by the War of the Roses, and well versed in the Tudors, Lancasters, and Stuarts. It helps to know something about English history when you attend a Shakespearean play despite the historians' frequent corrections of Bard Willy's narrative. 

But for bewildering politics, the Bible seems to match the English step for step. Why is Rezin, king of Aram allying with Pekah, king of Israel, to lay siege to Jerusalem? Aren't they all God's people and on the same team, opposing the superpower in Assyria? 

Well yes, but it's been explained to me that Ahaz and Pekah intended to persuade the reluctant Ahaz to join in resisting Assyria. 

We might ask the same thing of the two American political parties. Aren't you supposed to work together for a better, stronger America in a volatile  and sometimes hostile world? Well yes, but....

And the hearts of the people tremble as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

It is good to hear Isaiah's message, "Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands. We might assume the same tranquility before the superpowers in Washington, given that neither the electorate nor they themselves can alter or change their trajectory. 

And it is good to be reminded of Jesus's mighty deeds in Chorazin and Bethsaida, although we know little about those particular incidents. 

We should often reflect on the mighty deeds of the Lord as we navigate the treacherous shoals of our world. They fall broadly into the three categories: 

• first, the wonderful works of the Old and New Testaments (most especially Jesus's Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost), along with the wonderful lives of Our Mother Mary, and the martyrs and saints from John the Baptist to John Paul II.
• secondly, the Sacraments, especially of Baptism and Eucharist. We hear Saint Francis shouting at us, "Look at the humility of God who comes to us in the lowly forms of bread and wine!" 
• and finally, the blessings great and small we have experienced throughout our lives. We hardly meet as Christians and Catholics without sharing a story of God's blessings. 

Given these Mighty Deeds, will God abandon us at this particular moment? Haven't we survived much worse? 

And look how far the Lord has brought us despite the best efforts of those who oppose God and his kingdom. 

As I reflect while on sabbatical in Colorado, I find a sign over my desk, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart! Prov 3:5." And, when I look that up I find the rest of the verse: "on your own intelligence do not rely."

If I can't see a way out of this it's because I am too short to see beyond the horizon. But the Lord sees it all! 

Amen.