The Lord Has Done Marvels For Us"
Today Mass Readings
In today’s first reading from the Book of Ezra, we find a foreign king aiding the Jews. In fact, this is the first period in history where these people were known as Jews. During the time of Abraham, they were the Hebrew tribe. After Jacob gets his name changed to Israel, and has his famous 12 sons, they become known as the Israelites, composed of 12 tribes named after the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel. Eventually, after the reign of King Solomon, the kingdom splits into a Northern half, known as Israel or Ephraim, which is composed of 10 tribes. Some of these people became modern day Samaritans (who were also the Samaritans of the time of Jesus). The Southern half was known as Judah, composed of 2 tribes. It was the southern kingdom of Judah that was taken into exile by Babylon. In today’s passage, these people, who begin to be called Jews, have been brought back from exile and have been invited to rebuild Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple there. King Cyrus was the Persian king who defeated the Babylonians and liberated the Jews from exile. On account of this liberation, Cyrus is called God’s anointed one, or messiah, in Isaiah 45:1. Why was Cyrus so significant? Not only because of his physical liberation of God’s people, but even more importantly, because of the beginning of their spiritual liberation, with the decree to construct a new Temple. The Temple was the center of the ancient Israelite and Second Temple Jewish religious life. It was central, because it was the one place animal sacrifice to God was permitted. These animal sacrifices pointed the way to Jesus, and helped those who recognized Him respond with faith. Genesis 1-3 envisions the earth as sort of a macro temple. Our creation is primarily for loving communion with God through worship. Let us rejoice, even more so than those who heard Cyrus’ decree, because we have something so much greater than the Temple, we have the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord, Jesus, God’s true Anointed One, which we receive at every celebration of the Eucharist.
Today Psalm response is an appropriate prayer for us to end this reflection:
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.