Making things worse? - December 18
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Zech. 1:7-17; Rev. 3:7-13; Matt. 24:15-31
“And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse.” – Zechariah 1:15
I’ve been hovering over these words this past week. I try to work on my reflections before I go on vacation, so I have prepared for this reading two weeks in advance, although the crafting sometimes takes a little longer (and I think it’s important to be shaped by my experiences). A week ago, I was in Buenos Aires for a few days. By some random chance, I was there the same day their new president was sworn in, Javier Milei, who was referred to as the chainsaw-wielding president by the Sunday Times (British Newspaper). Oddly, his installation was on a day when chainsaws galore made their own pilgrimage to Saint Stephen’s after some horrendous storms. Milei is an eccentric rightwing libertarian that has risen to power as people become increasingly disenfranchised with the horrible inflation (120% the last calendar year).
I was invited to lunch the day of Milei’s installation by a retired professor in Latin American studies from the University of Indiana, an opportunity to learn more about this country at least from one person’s perspective. He shared the history of the country, and how he felt many people were consistently frustrated that whoever they elected failed to follow through with promises made, leading to a sense of desperation, a country always thinking tomorrow will be better and tomorrow never arriving.
Prophets in the Old Testament, especially Zechariah, often point out how the people have failed to care for the poor or let injustice for those who have been marginalized become the norm. As I read Zechariah this morning, I wonder if the prophet is reminding his people that not only are they failing in their care, but actually making their problems worse. I wonder if this is a result from the abdication of one’s responsibility to care for each other until one has the perfect solution. Sound timely?
I don’t have all of the answers for what are the right solutions to care for others that are called for as we are citizens of our great country entrusted with sacred responsibilities for our care of each other. I even think there are a varying degree of faithful answers that each of us can live into as people of faith. But I am struck that Zechariah reminds his people that they can make a bad situation worse. Or maybe he is saying they can even take what is pretty good and destroy it all together.
The prophets remind us that more than anything, our care for each other, especially those who suffer, who are poor and marginalized, who suffer at the hands of injustice, is at the core of what it means to be faithful. While I acknowledge that not all of us are at ease, most of us enjoy a level of comfort and satisfaction that far surpasses previous generations. In this season of Advent, when we look for light breaking into the dark world, for God’s good news to be birthed into the world, Zechariah’s vision is a reminder of our own agency in the coming of the kingdom. May we be mindful that we are working to create a world where justice and prosperity will be the reality for all. At the very least, let’s not make it worse.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: What are some ways you can be proactive in working towards the kingdom of God? In what ways have we made things worse when trying to make things better?