"God has not abandoned us."  

 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Ezra 9:5-9

I remained seated and dismayed until the evening sacrifice; and then,

at the time for the evening offering, I rose from my fasting, and with my clothes and mantle torn,

I knelt down, spreading out my hands to the Lord, my God.

I said, "My God! I am ashamed and confused, my God, I do not dare raise my eyes to you;

for our sins have increased over our heads and our crimes reach up to the heavens.

From the days of our ancestors to this day, our guilt has been great.

We, our kings and priests have been given into the hands of foreign kings because of our crimes;

we have been delivered to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and put to shame as on this day.

However, for a brief moment, the mercy of the Lord, our God, has been shown to us.

He made a remnant of our people survive, and allowed the survivor to settle once again in his Holy Place.

He has given us joy and life, though we are in bondage. We are no more than slaves,

but in the midst of our slavery, God has not abandoned us,

he has extended a merciful hand over us to support us before the kings of Persia.

He has revived our life, enabled us to rebuild the house of our God,

and to have walls in Jerusalem and in the other cities of Judah.

 

＊＊＊Gospel＊＊＊

Luke 9:1-6

Then Jesus called his Twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to drive out all evil spirits and to heal diseases.

And he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He instructed them,

"Don't take anything for the journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money;

and don't even take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place.

And wherever they don't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet: it will be as a testimony against them."

So they set out, and went through the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

 

＊＊＊Reflection＊＊＊

"God has not abandoned us."

"In the midst of our slavery, God has not abandoned us." The Easter Exsultet contrasts the slavery in Egypt to the slavery to sin,

showing how God did not abandon his people in their plight, but brought them to freedom.

The Hebrews were led to freedom by passing through the  Red Sea dry shod.

Christ leads us to the freedom of the children of God by passing through the waters of baptism,

which is a sharing in his death and resurrection. However, even after our baptism,

we can still be held captive by the sorrowful experiences of life. Our sense of new freedom in Christ can be constrained by injustice,

pain or sin. Yet, "in the midst of our slavery, God has not abandoned us."

Just as God was with his people in the desert and later in their years of captivity in Babylon,

so God is with us in our experiences of trial. He never leaves us. That's what the disciples were charged to tell the people:

that God's rule, his kingdom, touches every moment of our lives. Lord, when we are facing serious difficulties in life,

help us to know that you are supporting us in your love.