When Christmas is later in the week as it is this year, the Season of Advent becomes a little longer. Consequently, there are some readings that are not proclaimed every year. Today’s reading from the Prophet Zephaniah is one such reading.
Zephaniah is one of the so-called minor classical prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. This identification means that while he did write down some of his oracles – as opposed to Nathan or Elijah, his writings are brief – as opposed to Isaiah or Jeremiah. He was a pre-exilic prophet, bringing God’s Word to the leadership and the people of Israel before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity. He may have been contemporary, therefore, to Jeremiah.
The selection we hear today is from the third chapter of Zephaniah in which he condemns the city of Jerusalem and points to the disaster that will come unless the people repent of their idolatry. Though strictly forbidden by the covenant made at Sinai, the people have turned to the worship of other gods. Zephaniah blames the leadership of Israel for this defection. According to Zephaniah, because the people have forsaken God, God will forsake the people and allow them to be conquered and sold into slavery again. His oracle states that allowing Jerusalem to fall is God’s way of purifying the people of Israel so that they will only praise their God and not the gods of their neighbors. He also speaks of a “remnant” that will be left after the destruction of Jerusalem which will eventually produce righteous leaders. The evangelist Luke casts the characters in the first few chapters of his Gospel (Zechariah, Elizabeth, John, Joseph and Mary) as members of that remnant.
Zephaniah is both apocalyptic and messianic in tone. His oracles are filled with images of darkness and horror. However, he also points toward the healing that will come through the Messiah. As we read his message today, we are all called to examine our relationship with God. Have we forsaken God, turned to other gods? Are our lives so full of the idols of our culture and our consumeristic society that we have crowded out God?
When Jesus walked among us, he too spoke of the destruction of Israel. Like Zephaniah, he pointed to the leadership of Israel as one of the reasons for its eventual destruction. Today would also be a good time to pray for our own leadership as we approach another electoral cycle. Let us pray that our leaders will remember God’s Law when they enact new civil legislation, laws which will help lead our nation toward God rather than away from God.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator