"He is the rock on which we are to rebuild our lives."  

 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Haggai 1:1-8

In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month,

a word of the Lord was directed to the prophet Haggai, for the benefit of Zerubbabel,

the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

"So says the Lord of hosts: This people claim that the time to rebuild the house of the Lord has not yet come.

Well now, hear what I have to say through the prophet Haggai:

Is this the time for you to live in your well-built houses while this house is a heap of ruins?

Think about your ways: you have sown much but harvested little; you eat and drink, but are not satisfied;

you clothe yourselves, but still feel cold; and the laborer puts the money he earned in a tattered purse.

Now think about what you must do: go to the mountain and look for wood to rebuild the house.

This will make me happy; and I will feel deeply honored, says the Lord.

 

＊＊＊Gospel＊＊＊

Luke 9:7-9

King Herod heard of all this, and did not know what to think, for people said,

"This is John, raised from the dead." Others believed that Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets,

had come back to life. As for Herod, he said, "I had John beheaded. Who is this man, about whom I hear such wonders?"

And he was anxious to see him.

 

＊＊＊Reflection＊＊＊

"He is the rock on which we are to rebuild our lives."

Haggai is the first of the three prophets who come after the Babylonian captivity.

King Nebuchadnezzar II besieged Jerusalem in 587 and destroyed the Temple and large parts of Jerusalem.

Around 20,000 Israelites were taken prisoner and deported to Babylon,

where they and future generations remained for about sixty years until Persia had conquered Babylon and allowed their return.

Of those who remained in Jerusalem, many died of hunger or disease,

and so only a fraction of the population was left to survive in the ruins.

As the people returned, they faced the huge task of rebuilding Jerusalem and rebuilding their lives.

But Haggai warns them not to neglect reconstructing the Temple, since to do so would symbolize neglecting God.

They are to delay no longer and give due honor to God. When my life seems broken or in ruins,

where do I start the rebuilding? Haggai reminds us not to neglect our relationship with the Lord.

Perhaps the distress of bereavement, marital breakdown, ill health or unemployment has turned my life upside down and affected my faith.

But God is waiting for us in the rubble. He is the rock on which we are to rebuild our lives.