The Lesson [Thematic Reading Option]
Zechariah 9:9-12
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
_ ---———---———---———---———---———--- _
This reading points to the Triumphant Entry that we celebrate on the Sunday of the Passion. It might seem odd then to hear this in July, when we are quite removed from the Passion. Perhaps in this place though there is something we can take now from this reading. What jumps out at me is the extravagance of that last phrase. God promises not only to restore what has been taken away, but to double it. This is an amazing gift, and should not be taken lightly by us. It isn’t even so much a matter of doubling in a literal sense. More profound is simply the fact that God goes beyond what is right and pulls us into grace. God gives us more than we ever had.
Father Tim+
No comments:
Post a Comment