Embedded Files
Isaiah 63:1-19 In this apocalyptic passage, the Lord defeated Edom, which stood for all Israel’s enemies. These verses prefigure Christ’s work of redemption and defeat of the prince of this world, the Devil. Christian tradition traditionally applied this chapter to Christ, whose Sacrifice on the Cross brought salvation to all people. (CCC 1366-1367)
Ch 64:1-2 Isaiah’s prayer beseeched the Lord to send the Messiah soon. In humble petition, he presented the needs of the Chosen People in a spirit of trust and abandonment.
Ezekiel 21:1-17 Through an ode to the sword, these verses extol this weapon’s role in carrying out the Lord’s command to punish his people.
Sigh therefore: Ezekiel could not help but feel pain and sorrow over what awaited the people of Jerusalem given his deep solidarity with them. If only the people had listened to the prophets that came before him and repented of their sins, this tragedy would have been averted.
Upon your thigh: For ancient Semites, grief was often expressed by striking themselves on the upper leg.
Ch 21:18-32 Nebuchadnezzar planned his strategy by means of various forms of divination; nevertheless, ultimately the Lord determined his plans. The Ammonites, too, would be conquered by Babylon, and Babylon in turn would eventually fall. God’s judgment and authority included all people without exception.
Ch 22:1-22 The fall of Jerusalem and the exile of its people are just punishments for the litany of sins enumerated by these verses. In refining metals, a hot furnace is needed to melt the metal if it is to be made purer and molded into useful implements or works of art; in a like manner, the devastation that was taking place would purify the Jews and forge them into a newer and holier people. (CCC 710)
Ch 22:23-31 As often happens in the prophetic books, the kings, princes, priests, and other officials received more severe reprimands and punishments because they had failed to direct their people in the ways of the Lord or to provide justly for the needy and afflicted. (CCC 1928-1948)
(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)
GOSH!
Proverbs Ch 13:20
Obviously all the Proverbs have WISDOM to them
Proverbs 13:20, “He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
There is something SO POWERFUL about this
We can easily forget that we can be indiscriminate when it comes to choosing those that we spend time with
Years ago there was this guy, speaker, author, whatever his job title is, who made the claim, “We are the average who become the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” (or something like that I guess 😉)
Some people bristle at that
Some people say, “Well yeah but we need to be like Jesus and spend time with tax collectors, sinners, and the people at the margins.”
YES THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!
AND YET…
Proverbs continues to remind us that HE WHO WALKS WITH THE WISE BECOMES WISE
If we walk with WISE people we become WISE
If we walk with HOLY people we become HOLY
That’s the idea, at least
If I surround myself with people who are STRIVING AFTER THE LORD, then I can be taken up with them
I can start MATCHING PACE with them as they RACE AFTER THE LORD AND HIS WILL
AND YET…
If I surround myself intentionally with people who are INDIFFERENT TO GOD
If I surround myself intentionally with people who are INDIFFERENT TO THE PLIGHT OF THE PEOPLE AROUND US
Then that is going to have an effect on me
Maybe we might OVERESTIMATE OURSELVES
Now, maybe this isn’t YOU
BUT…
A LOT OF US OVERESTIMATE HOW GOOD WE ARE (I constantly overestimate how good I am at ping pong and yet keep getting beat at it...I think it’s a mental thing or something 🤪)
Maybe we think, “Yeah I can surround myself with ANYBODY and still PURSUE THE LORD.”
Maybe that is YOU
If that is YOU, you are ONE IN A MILLION
BUT…
MOST OF US ACTUALLY NEED THE HELP OF FRIENDS
WE NEED THE HELP OF THOSE BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE LORD TO RACE WITH US
THOSE WHO WALK WITH THE WISE BECOME WISE
THOSE WHO WALK WITH THE HOLY BECOME HOLY
THOSE WHO WALK WITH WHO LOVE GOD BECOME LOVERS OF GOD
IT CHANGES OUR HEARTS
IT CHANGES OUR MINDS
IT CHANGES OUR GOALS
We KNOW this
If you are around people who are consistently choosing HEALTH, then it’s easier and easier to choose HEALTH
If you are around people who are consistently choosing UNHEALTHY THINGS, then it’s easier and easier and easier to say, “Oh, that’s the STANDARD”
This is a POWERFUL REMINDER of the WISDOM OF SOLOMON here in the Book of Proverbs
THOSE WHO WALK WITH THE WISE BECOME WISE
BUT THE COMPANION OF FOOLS WILL SUFFER HARM
So it’s something for us all to keep in mind
On to Isaiah Chs 63 and 64
We only have two chapters left
Remember, we are in the Book of Consolation
Isaiah Ch 63 is Vengeance on Enemies
Here is God’s JUSTICE
Here is him coming to trod out the winepress
This is “My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
Can’t remember the name of that song
BUT...He is trodding out the winepress where the grapes of wrath are stored….
This is where that comes from
As God declares this JUDGMENT ON THE PEOPLE
It ends with 63:6 (Fr. Mike said Ch 43….but well you know 😁)
In verse 7, OH GOSH
After God is talking about the day of vengeance in his heart, and my year of redemption has come (Isaiah 63:4)
Isaiah 63:6, “I trod down the peoples in my anger, I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
Isaiah 63:7, “I will recount the merciful love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel which he has granted them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.”
WOW!
SO GOOD!
We recognize that God’s JUSTICE and God’s MERCY ARE NOT OPPOSED TO EACH OTHER
God’s JUSTICE and God’s MERCY are COMPLETELY COMMENSURATE WITH EACH OTHER
God’s JUSTICE and God’s MERCY are COMPLETELY IN LINE WITH EACH OTHER
Because GOD IS JUSTICE
Because GOD IS MERCY
Because GOD IS NOT CONFLICTED IN HIMSELF
AND YET…
At times, we NEED God’s JUSTICE
Always, we NEED God’s MERCY
We DESERVE God’s JUSTICE
We are GIVEN, out of God’s free gift, God’s MERCY
We get BOTH OF THOSE on display
WITHOUT QUESTION
WITH CLARITY
Here is God’s Judgment at the beginning of (Why does Fr. Mike keep saying Ch 43?? Is anyone else HEARING THIS????) Ch 63
And the CLARITY and the BEAUTY of God’s MERCY at the end of Ch 63
AND THEN…
There is this PRAYER FOR MERCY in Isaiah Ch 64
Isaiah 64:1, “O that you would tear the heavens and come down…”
This recognition that YOU (GOD) are so good and yet, we have sinned
You are SO GOOD and yet we have sinned
You are ANGRY and we have sinned
SO WE ASK FOR GOD’S MERCY
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
AND IT IS OURS!!
On to Ezekiel Chs 21 and 22
Ezekiel is not doing any performance prophecy right now
He is simply stating the Words of the Lord
One thing to keep in mind
Remember the FIRST WAVE of Exile is Daniel
The SECOND WAVE of Exile is Ezekiel
The THIRD WAVE of Exile is coming
Look at all the things that are happening in Jerusalem
Here are the sins upon sins of Jerusalem
Everything from treating one's neighbor, the orphans, the widows, unjustly
Not taking care of the poor
Violating the Sabbath
Priests treating HOLY things like they are COMMON things
All of this is part of a whole
When it comes to TRUE RELIGION
St. James will describe this very clearly in his Letter, “True religion does involve worship of God. But it also includes caring for the poor, caring for the widow, caring for the orphan. Those that need help, true religion consists in these things.”
Here is the Lord speaking through Ezekiel
“In Jerusalem, you are NOT doing those things.”
“Not only are you not WORSHIPING in the right way, you are not LIVING in the right way.”
At the end of Ezekiel Ch 22 there is something really POWERFUL
Once again God reminds the people that the prophets are making up lies and giving false visions
They are saying, “Thus says the Lord…” when the Lord has NOT SPOKEN
That’s something SO IMPORTANT
Even for this Bible in a Year
ANYONE who speaks on BEHALF OF GOD
Any PREACHER
Any PRIEST
Any TEACHER
We have to realize that we are meant to be God’s MAILMAN
We are NOT MEANT to be God’s EDITOR
DELIVER THE MESSAGE!!
DO NOT EDIT THE MESSAGE SO THAT IT SOUNDS BETTER OR WE THINK WHAT IT SHOULD BE!
Here is the WORD
Let’s deliver it AS BEST AS POSSIBLE
In Ezekiel Ch 22, there are FALSE PROPHETS
They are MAKING UP LIES
They are saying, “Thus says the Lord God…” when the Lord had not spoken
Ezekiel 22:30, “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.”
We are reminded of Abraham who stood in the breach
We are reminded of Moses who stood in the breach
We are reminded of the upcoming Jesus WHO STANDS IN THE BREACH
Here is the Lord speaking through Ezekiel saying, “Yeah all these sins of Israel, all these sins of Jerusalem are happening. If there was someone who is willing to stand up in the breach, to intercede on behalf of the people, then I would turn away. Like I would not allow this disaster to fall upon them. But there is no one. And therefore, my judgment will come.”
In your role and my role in this world
We can say, “Oh gosh the world has gone to heck. The world has fallen apart. Look at all the problems we have.”
There are real problems obviously
It is important to point out the real problems
But ask the question, “Am I standing in the breach?”
Ask the question, “Do I regularly go before the Lord and INTERCEDE LIKE MOSES for the people?”
Ask the question, “Do I regularly go before the Lord and INTERCEDE LIKE ABRAHAM for the people?”
If you are a parent or grandparent
If you are ANYONE who has someone in your life that you LOVE
Do you come before the Lord and INTERCEDE ON THEIR BEHALF?
Do you stand in the breach ON THEIR BEHALF?
Because if you are in a place of AUTHORITY
Whether as a MOM OR DAD
GRANDMA OR GRANDPA
AUNT OR UNCLE
OLDER SISTER
OLDER BROTHER
PRIEST
To be able to say, “Ok God. I see what is going on in their lives. I’m going to stand in the breach on their behalf before you God, and intercede for them.”
That’s one of the things we do when we pray for each other
STAND IN THE BREACH FOR EACH OTHER
Not just, “Oh I’m gonna throw up a prayer on your behalf.”
That’s good too
BUT…
What about something even more serious?
What about fasting in prayer?
Standing in the breach LIKE THAT?
Knowing that maybe this prayer is the ONLY THING between this person you love, who you are responsible for, and JUDGMENT UPON THEM?
JUST TO PRAY
Now we are NOT JUDGING ANYBODY
We are NOT CONDEMNING ANYBODY
WE ARE DOING THE OPPOSITE
WE ARE PRAYING THAT THE LORD SHOWS THEM MERCY
WE ARE PRAYING THAT THE LORD CHANGES THEIR HEART
WE ARE PRAYING THAT THE LORD BRINGS THEM HOME
LET’S PRAY FOR THOSE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES
PRAY FOR EACH OTHER
FR. MIKE IS PRAYING FOR YOU EVERY SINGLE DAY
PRAY FOR FR. MIKE
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we give you praise and we thank you so much. We thank you and give you love. That’s all. Just thank you today. Thank you for bringing us to this day. We know that you are good. We know that you are God. We know that you love us and so there’s nothing else to say but thank you, for who you are. Thank you for all that you’ve done. Thank you for being with us and never abandoning us. Help us to walk with you. Bring people into our lives who can walk with us so that we can be the men and women that you have called us to be this day and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
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