Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s first reading takes place around 536 B.C., when the Jews left Babylon and returned to Judah under the order of King Cyrus of Persia. Sometimes, we only see this as a glorious return from exile, but I’m drawn to how difficult it must have been for the Jewish people to leave the comfort and safety of their homes in order to make an unsettling journey back to the Promised Land. Having just recently moved, I can relate to the feelings of nervousness and uncertainty! The Jewish people followed God’s call, which led them on this new path. They were met with hardship, and even war. Soon their earnest attempt to rebuild the temple stopped. Even the governor Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua were complacent.
In this context, the prophet Haggai delivered an important message: “Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:6). I am sure many of the people had good reasons to delay the rebuild: money was tight, there were no good jobs, there was a need to focus on providing for the family. Perhaps when their lives were stable and prosperous, then the timing would be right to build the Lord’s house. Just as Haggai reminded the Jews to consider their ways, we too are reminded to put everything else in proper order, so that God can radiate into all that we do.
In today’s gospel, Herod was intrigued by all the clamoring about Jesus. “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen” (Luke 9:7). When God was trying to speak to Herod through John the Baptist, he had him executed. Again, Herod was stirred by God’s voice, but would not hear it. Like the 6th century residents of Judah, Herod was complacent in his "paneled house" of power, and like the prophet Haggai, Jesus's ministry challenged that complacency. Rather than coming out of his place of power, he contributes to Jesus' arrest and death sentence.
There are so many things in life that demand our attention: our jobs, our families, our responsibilities, and it can be difficult not to let them become more of a priority than our relationship with God. When we feel distracted, perhaps we can make it our prayer to ask the Lord for the strength and courage to help us reprioritize our lives as we seek to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. Let us pray that we can recognize God in all the moments of grace that come to us each day.
-Jessica Gabrielli