3rd Sunday OT, Year A January 22, 2017
Fr. Albert
St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia
“Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” After this, our exile… this curious little phrase comes from the back half of the prayer Hail Holy Queen, a prayer we have all heard and said. But what does “our exile” mean? Add to that another commonly heard phrase from our Gospel “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” What is “our exile” and what is this “Kingdom of Heaven?”
Believe it or not, those two questions are closely related to the prophecy that is our first reading, a prophecy quoted in the Gospel. “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” I think most of us, when we hear that someone in darkness sees a great light, assume it’s a kind of general refence to sin and evil and to Jesus. That’s not wrong, but Scripture is being a bit more specific in this case. It’s talking about an actual, historical exile.
King David was king of Israel – he ruled over the twelve tribes of Israel, including the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. God promised to David that his dynasty would never fail. The Israelites assumed that included all twelve tribes. But, in 740 B.C. a big empire called Assyria invaded took ten of the twelve tribes… into exile. Can you guess which tribes they started with? Zebulun and Naphtali. So, when Isaiah says that “the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,” he is thinking of a specific historical occurrence. These tribes, and the two that didn’t get taken, all thought it meant that God had gone back on his promises. The “darkness” in this prophecy is the darkness of feeling abandoned by God.
Then, to make matters worse, in 598 B.C. another empire, the Babylonians, took the last two tribes into exile. Now the promises to David seemed to be gone forever. God did interve 60 years later and those two tribes got to return. Things were more hopeful, but there were still unanswered questions. That first exile, including Zebulun & Naphtali, never ended. Ten of the twelve tribes never came home and were known as the lost tribes of Israel. Since Judah was the biggest tribe left, they started to be called “Jews” instead of Israelites.
That’s when Jesus steps onto the scene. The Jews are under Roman control wondering if and when God will honor his promise to restore David’s kingdom. Jesus start preaching in to Galilee, which is where Zebulun and Naphtali used to be. This Jewish preacher, in the very place where the kingdom of Israel was broken up, suddenly starts saying “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” That would catch the attention of any Jew who knew even a little of Israel’s history. They knew that Jesus was talking about God’s promises to David and that he was implying a restoration after a very long exile and a pretty depressing history. To top it all off, he starts gathering disciples in this region and we all know the total: 12. 12 men for the 12 tribes of Israel.
All of this is at work behind what we see Jesus doing, and it still matters for us. It matters for us because the ancient history of Israel serves as an example for the ongoing history of Christianity. The fact is that every Christian, and really every human being, lives in an ongoing exile. That’s what we’re talking about when we ask Mary to look upon us. She is at home; all the saints are at home, but we… we are in exile.
That is something we should remember always. Donald Trump is now the president and the Republican party holds a majority in both houses of congress. For some, this might seem like we are sitting in darkness. For others, this might seem like they have “seen a great light.” Regardless, it is imperative for Catholics to learn from St. Thomas More. He famously said “I am the King’s good servant, but God’s first.” We too should say “I am an American citizen, but Heaven’s first.” There will be good and bad in the time ahead of us, but we must not confuse God’s promises with the promises of the world.
The Israelites were dismayed at the Assyrian exile. After the ten tribes were lost, it seemed that God’s promises might never be accomplished. But God had a plan for a kingdom much greater than the mere nation-state of Israel. The ancient Jews may not have known better, but we do. Though political turmoil, economic stress, and war are a great darkness on this earth, the greatest darkness is in fact our own personal sins. The real reason the kingdom of Israel fell was because of their sins and idolatry. Although some times, some groups, and some leaders do in fact bring light to these dark situations, the only true light is Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus specifically marketed his message to Jews who wanted to restore the kingdom of Israel, but he had a much greater gospel.
And, like St. Paul, we have all been sent to preach that gospel; the gospel of repentance, of admitting that we are mere exiles on this earth, of seeking a heavenly, not an earthly kingdom, a heavenly home. And we are to preach it “not with the wisdom of human eloquence” but by holiness of life. And how, how to do it so “that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning?” Learn from our psalm, our second reading, and our Gospel.
The psalm prays “One thing I ask of the LORD… to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life that I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple.” Time spent in prayer, in Church, and in contemplation of holy things. Beautiful churches, crucifixes, and statues help us to be aware of God’s presence. Take time to learn about and simply appreciate the beauty of the church, of Gregorian chant, and of a well-done liturgy.
St. Paul begs us to avoid divisions and that we “be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.” He specifically asks us to avoid breaking into factions based on which bishops we belong to. Our Loyalty is to Christ and his Church. The creed, the different doctrines and dogmas of the Church, and Scripture are not up for debate. Yes, there are things we can and should debate, but it should be done in a spirit of loyalty to the Church, love for fellow Catholics, and openness to being corrected. The goal is not to “win” an argument, but to find unity in the one Truth, however long that takes. Relativism is not an option.
Finally, Christ calls his disciples and they drop their nets to follow him. Simplicity. In an age of consumerism, we need to evaluate just how much we bury ourselves in things we don’t need. How many smartphones and tablets does one family need? How many televisions? Can we go out to eat less? Is Facebook or Twitter preventing me from spending enough time on school, work, family, or prayer? In almost every case, moving from more stuff to less stuff is a step in the right direction. Being detached from our comforts helps us to respond to God’s call more effectively.
Never forget that you are in exile. Do not forget that the exile does not last forever. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”