Faith to fight folly and cognitive dissonance

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today warn of dependence on political alliances that seem to offer benefit but may lead to our following contemporary programs that reject the life that Jesus offers.



The Prophet Isaiah urges King Ahaz to reject political alliances of submission and to stand on firm faith in God.

* [7:1–8:18] These verses (often termed Isaiah’s “Memoirs”) contain a series of oracles and narratives (some in first person), all closely related to the Syro-Ephraimite war of 735–732 B.C. Several passages feature three children whose symbolic names refer to the Lord’s purposes: Shear-jashub (7:3), Emmanuel (7:10–17; 8:8–10), and Maher-shalal-hash-baz (8:1–4). Judah and its Davidic dynasty should trust God’s promises and not fear the combined armies of Israel and Syria; within a very short time these two enemy states will be destroyed, and David’s dynasty will continue.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus addresses the loss that the cities who rejected His message will come to know.

* [11:23] Capernaum’s pride and punishment are described in language taken from the taunt song against the king of Babylon (Is 14:13–15).

Thomas Quinn shares that firm faith always helps us to have the strength to withstand constant attacks, both great and small. He notes that we do not always see the immediate, or obvious, result.

The Alleluia today (Psalm 95:8) ( could well be applied to the actions of Ahaz as the history of his people, and those of the enormously powerful Assyrian Empire, unfold.  Heed the words of God. “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” Listen for his voice today. Will you be able to recognize it?

Don Schwager’s meditation asks If Jesus were to visit your community today, what would he say?

Why does Jesus lament and issue a stern warning? The people who heard the Gospel here very likely responded with indifference. Jesus upbraids them for doing nothing! Repentance demands change - a change of heart and way of life. God's word is life-giving and it saves us from destruction - the destruction of heart, mind, and soul as well as body. Jesus' anger is directed toward sin and everything which hinders us from doing the will of God. In love he calls us to walk in his way of truth and freedom, grace and mercy, justice and holiness. Do you receive his word with faith and obedience or with doubt and indifference?

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 7:1-9 offers that we all have situations that tempt our faith—an illness, perhaps, or a job change or a wounded relationship. Just as he told Ahaz, God says to us, “Stand firm in your faith!”

Isaiah’s words show us that faith really does matter. It mattered for Ahaz, and it matters for us. Faith sets the foundation of our lives, just as a house’s foundation provides a solid footing for the building and a safe environment for the people who live there.
Our faith in Jesus can do the same for us. It grounds us so that we can live with hope, even in the most challenging of environments. It equips us to meet tough situations with peace. It helps us to remain on the path of obedience. Best of all, it brings us joy and comfort because it tells us that God is with us and that our difficulties are never the end of the story.

Friar Jude Winkler reviews the politics of the time of Isaiah’s “Memoirs” when alliances resulted in deference to the Assyrian gods and the death of an Emperor was an opportunity for vassal states to rebel. He notes that the people who do not show great outward piety may be ones who have great inner faith. He refers to the pagan sense of faith that Jesus celebrates in His mission in the cities that have rejected Him in the Gospel.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes that in recent decades, we witness a growing awareness of how everything is interconnected and interdependent. But that awareness has scarcely begun to seep into the consciousness of the political arena. He quotes James Robertson on the shift to a more sustainable political policy that will evolve.

. . . a shift of emphasis away from means towards ends; away from economic growth towards human development; away from quantitative towards qualitative values and goals; away from the impersonal and organisational towards the personal and interpersonal; and away from the earning and spending of money towards the meeting of real human needs and aspirations. A culture that has been masculine, aggressive and domineering in its outlook will give place to one which is more feminine, cooperative and supportive. A culture that has exalted the uniformly European will give place to one which values the multi-cultural richness and diversity of human experience. An anthropocentric worldview that has licensed the human species to exploit the rest of nature as if from above and outside it, will give place to an ecological worldview. We shall recognize that survival and self-realisation alike require us to act as what we really are—integral parts of an ecosystem much larger, more complex, and more powerful than ourselves.

The timeliness of contemplation of our allegiance to social and political systems that have fostered inequality and damaged our home is clear as we witness changes that disturb us in domestic and international politics.

References

(n.d.). Isaiah 7:10. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/isaiah7.htm

(n.d.). Matthew 11:25. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew11.htm

(n.d.). Isaiah and the “Syro-Ephraimite War”. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://www.havenministries.com/OTSb-Syro-EphraimiteWar.pdf

(n.d.). Online Ministries Home Page - Creighton University. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/preparing.html 

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved July 17, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

(n.d.). beyond the dependency culture - James Robertson. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://www.jamesrobertson.com/book/beyondthedependencyculture.pdf