Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
It is interesting that in three readings before us today we are presented with three very different cities. One city looks to be bound for God’s harshest judgment. Another appears to be under imminent threat of attack. And the third is the very city of God. What might we learn as people of faith from these three cities? That is what I want to consider in this reflection.
To be more accurate, in the Matthew reading we actually encounter a few cities that are of a certain kind. The kind of city here is one that has had the great privilege of witnessing Jesus’ miracles. Even more, its people not only witnessed them but came to believe in Jesus and the Good News. But, for whatever reasons, the people of those cities failed to repent. They knew that Jesus was for real and that his teachings about God’s love, grace, and forgiveness were also for real. Yet, they kept on living as they always had. While their minds were changed by Jesus, they didn’t allow their lives to also be touched. And in response, the word from Jesus is harsh. The day of judgment will be very bad for this city. It will be even worse than it was for Sodom.
What can we learn from this city? One thing we can learn is that while it’s very important to believe in Jesus and God and the Kingdom of God, it’s not enough. Likewise, while it is very good to hear Jesus’ teachings and understand that we are to love God with everything we have and our neighbors as ourselves, that’s not enough. If we believe and understand but keep on living as we always have, then what is the value of our belief and understanding? Of course, the day of judgment is not yet at hand for this city or for us. Jesus’ word is harsh. But there is still time for it and for us to be transformed.
In the reading from Isaiah, we encounter a city that is absolutely terrified by the fact that it appears that two enemy nations have joined together to mount an attack. And they mean for that attack to be absolutely devastating. Isaiah is instructed by God to tell the king and the people to “take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint.” The prophet gives the king and the people a most reassuring word. It—meaning the attack—shall not stand. It will not be. Rather than panic, what the people need to do is have faith in a God who deeply cares for them and who has given them his word.
We live in a time in which there appear to be threats on all sides. Many of the threats we face are real and probably a good number of them are not. Whether real or manufactured, as people of faith we need to think about how we will be in this world. Are we to live in a state of panic? Are we to be like the trees that tremble in the wind? I think this text challenges us to resist the temptation to give into fear and all that fear brings with it.
The city that we encounter in Psalm 48 is very different from the other two. This one is secure and safe. It need not anticipate harsh judgment. There is no reason for fear. Even powerful kings who might threaten it are astounded by it. They are themselves put in a panic just at the sight of it. And the reason for all of this is simple. This is the city of God. This is the city in which God dwells for all time—past, present, and future. In this city, it is well known that God is present always.
What might we learn from this city? Perhaps it is that we are invited to live in this city no matter what actual city (or suburb or rural area) we happen to reside in. As God is surely not contained or limited by the boundaries of any city, we can find God wherever we are and whatever our condition. Whether we are resisting the transformations that we are called to by our faith or paralyzed by fears seeming to threaten from all sides, we may live with the assurance that our God, as the Psalmist puts it in the closing verse, “will be our guide forever.” Amen.
- Sue Trollinger