When the king heard this news,
he was struck with fear and very much shaken.
Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed.
There he remained many days, overwhelmed with sorrow,
for he knew he was going to die.
Given Israel's long history of prosperity and ruin, hope and disappointment, and the story of the wicked king's bitter sorrow upon the loss of Jerusalem, the story of his death sounds comical. It is an amusing diversion for people whose troubles are more real than a king's ridiculous grief.
They might have said, "Alas, alack, the poor fellow died because someone took from him what was never his in the first place. Now ain't that a shame.
The story is made more pathetic when we learn in the NAB footnote that his brother Demetrius had his son and heir put to death soon after he died. As the Scotsman Robert Burns said, "...the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley."
As people who are eager to know and do God's will we also know that if anyone undertakes a project which is contrary to God's will, they are building castles in the sky. Their exploits might entertain or distress; they might inspire amusement or fear; but they won't last in either case. Human history is full of dead ends.
Today we remember the martyrdom of Saint Cecilia. She was thirty years old when she and her new husband died for the faith. The story is particularly striking for the manner of her death. Her executioner, a professional with a weapon designed to sever heads, came to her home. Realizing her time had come, the young bride immediately lay upon the floor. However, after three attempts he had not beheaded her. Sensing the presence of the Holy in this woman and his repeated failure, he fled the house in fear. The wound was fatal but she survived several days, praising God while her friends and fellow Christians prayed around her.
The emperor who demanded her death and his empire are long dead; the woman survives in sacred memory and in God's presence. Everything perishes except the Works of the Lord and those who live by His Word.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.