Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
The post-exilic period of Israel's history begins with the decree of Cyrus allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of Solomon. Today's first reading from the prophet Ezra brings us the Scriptures that surround that part of the history of Israel.
The first reading from the Sunday which we just observed is also reflecting on the post-exilic period. Isaiah tells the exiles: Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6) Without the background for this admonition, it doesn't carry the same punch. For the fact of the matter was that there were some exiles who decided not to return to Jerusalem. They understood that returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the city and its Temple would mean leaving a fairly comfortable life in Babylon. Their collective memory reminded them of the experience of their ancestors who left Egypt hundreds of years earlier and the privation and struggle that they endured. Life in Babylon promised to be very comfortable for them. Why should they return to Jerusalem?
The reason that Isaiah and the other prophets offered would not hold water today. For the people of that time and that culture, God was connected to the country. While the Hebrew Scriptures regularly refer to God as the King of the universe, the fact of the matter is that they believed that one could only truly worship God in Israel. Consequently Isaiah and the post-exilic prophets urge the Israelites to "seek" God where he may be found; namely, in your own country. Such an argument would not persuade people of our time simply because we do not understand God and worship in these terms.
There is, however, another way to look at this; namely, the question of comfort. The Scriptures are often referred to as a "two-edged" sword. One popular definition of the purpose of the Scriptures is "to bring solace to the afflicted, and to make the comfortable uncomfortable." If a particular Bible passage makes you squirm a little, that probably signals that you have discovered a "growing edge," a place where one needs to reassess and reevaluate one's life. God is usually not found in the midst of comfort.
Over the next few days, as we read the prophets of post-exilic Israel, we have an opportunity to examine our own lives. How much of our lives is about remaining comfortable rather than stretching beyond our comfort zone and allowing the Gospel to challenge us?