Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Every day on my way to work, I drive north on I-75, past the Wagner-Ford road exit where one of the tornados did some serious damage over Memorial Day weekend. As we all know, quite a few buildings, homes, and businesses were damaged or destroyed, including Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church. For many, the rebuilding is just beginning. The Israelites in today’s reading endured a similar situation. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by an invading army, and all the wealth and leading people of the city were exiled to a foreign empire. Those who did remain were too poor to have any sort of government or building project; they simply did the best they could, subsisting for decades, until the next king and empire looked favorably on the Jews and funded a new effort to rebuild the temple.
Are you suffering the aftermath of destruction? Whether it’s a physical building, the loss of bodily or mental health, or the loss of those we love, there are times in every life when trouble comes through and we’re simply left behind to clean up the mess. God desires to help us rebuild. You may not be living the aftermath of any great destruction today; in that case, perhaps you are someone’s ‘Darius,’ someone that God will use to help others rebuild.
No matter what your personal situation, the strength of Christ’s love gives us the strength to rebuild. Despite the devastation, our lives can be whole again. The Lord walks with us in our pain and confusion and directed us and others to help. God is patient with us while we try and figure out what to do now. The dying and rising of Jesus proves that the Spirit can transform the worst suffering into something good. Today’s psalm is exalting in that truth. They are rejoicing about going to the house of the lord because, for so many years, there was no house to go to. May we also dedicate ourselves to help each other rebuild in the aftermath of destruction.
- Chris Nieport
(Today we also have a reflection from Deacon Mike Montgomery)