Day 221: Walking with Wise Men

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.”