Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Isaiah 10:5-7.13b-16; Mathew 11:25-27)

Assyria was a mighty empire extending through most of the Middle East including Egypt.  It easily conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the eighth century before Christ.  Although it considered itself the “cradle of civilization,” its army as much as its cultural institutions brought it notoriety.  In today’s first reading, the prophet Isaiah denounces Assyria’s warrior ways.

Isaiah states that God had used Assyria to punish the wayward kingdoms like Israel.  But Assyria went beyond its mandate.  It sought to wipe away other nations when it arrogantly attributed a godlike power to itself.  For this reason Isaiah predicts the fall of Assyria which came about in the late seventh century B.C.

We should allow the fate of Assyria to serve as a lesson for us.  For whatever gifts we have, we need to be grateful to God.  We have to ask ourselves how we might employ those gifts for God’s sake.

Homilette for Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Isaiah 10:5-7;13b-16)

In trying to come to terms with the great evils that have wrecked humankind, some theologians have concluded that God has no power over forces like armies or hurricanes. Rather, they say, God only inspires people to carry out His will like a mother might encourage her children to do the right thing. However, it is hard to square such a weak God with the reading from Isaiah today.

Assyria was a great power during the first third of the millennium before Christ. It conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 721 plundering the cities. Isaiah’s oracle, delivered on God’s behalf, lambasts Assyria for going too far in its demolition of Israel. God intended that it punish Israel for the latter’s many offenses. However, Assyria went beyond all the bounds of humanity in completely destroying the nation. Now, Isaiah predicts, God will call Assyria to account for its excesses. In fact, Babylonia conquered Assyria a hundred years later.

When we suffer, we should call to mind that God is in control of the universe and all that is within it. Although we cannot understand why He allows good people to undergo terrible misfortune, we still can turn to God in prayer for mercy. We should not doubt an instant that God loves us and will come to our assistance.