Tuesday 23rd June 2020. Read 2 Kings 19:9-11,14-21,31-35,36,
Psalm 48:2-4,10-11 Matthew 7:6,12-14)_
“For the
gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it
are few.” (Matthew 7:14)
Our first
reading today contains a very beautiful story: the miraculous defeat of the Assyrian
army led by King Sennacherib who dared to make a mockery of God. There are
indeed so many lessons to learn from this reading.
King
Sennacherib sent a letter to King Hezekiah saying: “Do not let your God on whom
you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the
hand of the king of Assyria. Behold you have heard what the kings of Assyria have
done to all the lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered.”
This was a
direct message of threat not only to King Hezekiah as a person but even to God.
But see how Hezekiah responded. He simply took the letter from the messengers and
went up to the house of the Lord, spread it before the Lord and prayed. The
prayer of Hezekiah can be likened to that of Jeremiah which we read on Sunday.
When faced
with threats from enemies of the faith, let us learn to surrender completely to
God. Hezekiah, like Jeremiah, simply went down on their knees to pray. “Lord,
you test the mind and heart, let me see your vengeance against them for to you
have I committed my cause.” (Jeremiah 20:12) When we display such faith and
confidence in God, He always responds. As Jesus would say: “even the hairs of
your head are numbered, do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but
fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Cf. Matthew 10:28,30).
Do not
panic. Just pray and surrender. Let God do your fighting. As soon as Hezekiah
finished praying, the Spirit of the Lord roused the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz
and he spoke an oracle which came to pass exactly as he said. That night, and
Angel of God struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of
the Assyrians. King Sennacherib woke up the next day to see that nothing was
left of all he had trusted. With great shame, he retreated on exile to the land
of Nineveh.
The question
is: “If you were in Hezekiah’s shoes, and you received such a frightening
message, what would you have done?” Be honest with your answer. Just as Jesus said
in today’s Gospel passage, not many people would be this confident in God’s
ability to save them. Trusting God is a very narrow and difficult route, those
who find it are very few. We claim to pray to God, yet we fear human beings
more than we fear God.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, when I am afraid, teach me to call upon you with deep faith
and trust. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time. 2 Kings 19:9-11,14-21,31-35,36,
Psalm 48:2-4,10-11 Matthew 7:6,12-14).
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