Daily Readings - Fri Jun 28 2024
2 Kings
1Then it happened that, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, he and his entire army, arrived against Jerusalem. And they encircled it, and they constructed fortifications all around it2And the city was enclosed and besieged, even until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah3on the ninth day of the month. And a famine prevailed in the city; neither was there bread for the people of the land4And the city was breached. And all the men of war fled in the night along the way of the gate which is between the double wall at the garden of the king. Now the Chaldeans were besieging the city on all sides. And so Zedekiah fled along the way which leads to the plains of the wilderness5And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. And all the warriors who were with him were dispersed, and they abandoned him6Therefore, having apprehended him, they led the king to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And he was speaking with him in judgment7Then he killed the sons of Zedekiah before him, and he dug out his eyes, and he bound him with chains, and he led him away to Babylon8In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, the same is the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the leader of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, went into Jerusalem9And he set fire to the house of the Lord, and to the house of the king. And the houses of Jerusalem, and every great house, he burned with fire10And the entire army of the Chaldeans, which was with the leader of the military, tore down the walls of Jerusalem all around11Then Nebuzaradan, the leader of the military, carried away the rest of the people, who had remained in the city, and the fugitives, who had fled over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people12But he left behind some vinedressers and farmers from the poor of the land
Matthew
1And when he had descended from the mountain, great crowds followed him2And behold, a leper, drawing near, adored him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you are able to cleanse me.3And Jesus, extending his hand, touched him, saying: "I am willing. Be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed4And Jesus said to him: "See to it that you tell no one. But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses instructed, as a testimony for them.
Sermon
The readings today present two starkly different scenes: one of destruction and exile, and another of healing and restoration. In the first reading from 2 Kings, we witness the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the exile of the people. This is a moment of profound sorrow and loss, the culmination of a long history of infidelity and rebellion against God. The city lies in ruins, the Temple is burned, and the people are carried off to Babylon. Yet even in the midst of this devastation, there is a glimmer of hope: some of the poor are left behind, suggesting that God does not abandon His people entirely.
In the Gospel, we see a very different kind of power at work. Jesus, who has just finished teaching the Beatitudes on the mountain, encounters a leper who cries out for healing. The leper acknowledges Jesus' power but also expresses humility, saying, "If you are willing, you are able to cleanse me." Jesus' response is immediate and compassionate: He touches the leper and says, "I am willing. Be cleansed." This act of healing is not only a physical restoration but also a spiritual one, as it restores the leper to community and wholeness.
These readings remind us that God's ways are not our ways. While the destruction of Jerusalem might seem like the end, it is also a call to repentance and renewal. Similarly, the healing of the leper shows us that even in the midst of suffering, God's mercy and love are always available. In our own lives, we are called to trust in God's plan, even when it is difficult to understand. Let us ask for the humility and faith of the leper, and let us remember that God's power is always at work, even in the darkest of times.