Word to the Wise
Saturday, September 26, 2009 - Saturday in the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
[Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15A and Luke 9:43B-45]Sing and rejoice, O Daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.
In the weeks, months and years following the disastrous damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, there has been and continues to be debate over how many people have returned to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. This topic has considerable psychological, political and economic importance! Those of us who remember these regions prior to the storm and do a thorough tour can see that the most public areas have received some attention but many residential areas remain empty and unoccupied. At most, the damaged buildings have been removed. Those who visit New Orleans as tourists really only see the parts least damaged. On the coast, it is more difficult to avoid seeing how extensive the trauma was and is! Those who wish to rebuild have a big task ahead of them. It is one thing to rebuild and quite another to restore! Much encouragement is needed to both leadership and possible returnees. This is what Zechariah was trying to do for the Jews returning from exile! Like most prophets, he was only partially successful. The centralization of worship and faith in Jerusalem, symbolized by the rebuilding of the temple, remained a controversial issue right up into Jesus' own time and once the temple was destroyed by the Romans, there has been no re-building. Even the creation of the State of Israel in the 20th century AD remains controversial in Judaism! Rebounding, rebuilding and restoring are all very different ideas and require differing energies, talents, resources and time. Faith has a powerful role to play in sustaining the effort, which can take generations! It is a very different thing to rebuild a house than it is to restore confidence to live in it! Zechariah's efforts are much needed! AMEN
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