Withdraw heal and trust

The time of the Prophet Micah was also the time of Isaiah and Amos. The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are both connected to that time and express understanding about the nature and Will of God which is timeless. The psalmist understands the concern of God for the unfortunate man and the fatherless who depend on Providence. People then and now have seemingly unlimited resources for the preparation and execution of wars. Micah describes the loss of the fields and the homes of those around Jerusalem perhaps to the Assyrians who put the city under siege or as preparation by the defenders of Judah for the enemy advance. Jesus, in the Gospel today from Matthew, presents an alternate direction for those who are being besieged by an adversary. He acts to withdraw, heal and command silence from His followers. Mariana Miller comments that we as followers of Jesus today need to let His direction be part of our lives. Our trust in Providence is to give Jesus the permission to lead us away from futile aggression, accept His healing of our discontent and be prepared to act in the manner of Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise in Isaiah that one described in the first Servant Song (Isaiah 42:1-4) will bring the revelation of God in intimate relationship to people to all nations. The gentleness and the deep dependence on God for the fulfillment of peace and justice in the lives of the marginalized of this long quotation from Isaiah proclaims both the mission and means which followers of Jesus should expect as they give Him permission to lead through the Spirit.