Readings:
2 Kings 25:1-12
Matthew 8:1-4
Reflection:
Invasion
Siege
Famine
Cowardice
Assassination
Maiming
A leader deposed
A dynasty destroyed
Annihilation of a city
Destruction of the Temple
Deportation of a people
The poor in need of aid
Today’s headlines? Possibly. But it is also a dot-point summary of today’s first reading: the end of the kingdom begun with Saul and David, the destruction of the Temple built by Solomon, and the beginning of the Babylonian Captivity, which would shape Jewish history, religion and identity.
The warnings had always been there, spoken through the prophets: turn away from idolatry, return to the one true God, and keep the commandments. They called the people to live righteously, practise justice and to care for the widow, the stranger and the orphan. Yet those teachings were not followed in ways that brought lasting change. And, if we are honest, we have not improved as much as we might like to think. We still do many of the same things that were done two and a half millennia ago; we have simply become more sophisticated in their execution, killing real people with things that resemble video games and children’s toys. The number of people forced from their homes by war, famine and climate change grows each year, while the wealth of a few exceeds beyond imagination.
But if we want to, we can be healed. Today’s gospel tells us that. Like any work of conversion, it must begin with us. As Jesus says, ‘Of course I want to.’ As always, God is there waiting for us, wanting us to want for ourselves what God wants for us and to begin again, together.
Alison Gore is a parishioner at St Paul of the Cross, Glen Osmond. She works in education and formation.