Exiles and travellers

A glimpse into the relationship of believers to the world is offered today in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Salvation history is categorized by JoanBlandin Howard of the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University as being about the relationship between God and people. The stories of the relationship Ezra and Tobit to Yahweh come to us from Hebrew writings (though Tobit is outside the Hebrew Bible canon). These men are exiles from their home in Jerusalem and from this vantage point they know the challenge of living among and being persecuted by those who do not share their belief. The return of the Babylonian exiles to Jerusalem after generations away from their customs brought both thanksgiving to Ezra for this action of Providence and distress around the enormous mission to return the remnant of believers to life in deep relationship with God. The remnant must journey from outside their culture and outside their relationship with God and return to Life. Tobit lived in community of pagans, yet he continued to give love and respect to all, Jew and Gentile, while adhering to the discipline of his Hebrew tradition. Modern Christians can be seen as exiles in a society which is seems to be increasingly forgetful of our relationship with God. The healing of these separation demons is part of the instruction Jesus gives to His disciples in the passage from the Gospel of Luke. We can seen a reflection of the lives of Ezra and Tobit in the expectations Jesus sets for those who will act to revive a healthy relationship to God in those they are led to encounter in the pagan world on a journey where trust in Providence is the guide.