Word to the Wise
Saturday, September 24, 2011 - Saturday in the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
[Zech 2:5-9, 14-15a and Luke 9:43b-45,1078]Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.O Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you. [Zechariah]
When I was a student brother [seminarian], I had a scripture professor who taught for many years, and used much the same material for all the students in his introductory course. One of the bits that we learned was a mnemonic (memory-aid) for remembering the twelve "minor" prophets in the Old Testament. It was composed of the first letter of each of the names:OJAAJ, MNH, ZAZM! You can guess where Zechariah fits! He is our featured "minor prophet" today. The verse quoted above would have been important to the early Christian community as they struggled to give meaning to the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
There is no such thing as a "clinical" view of scripture. We all read it through various "lenses" which color the way we understand it. One "lens" that is common to many, however, is the lens of Jesus Christ. This remains an important way of reading all the Old Testament for Christians. The Bible is a book of faith and our faith colors all that we do, including our understanding of Christ and the scriptures. Zechariah speaks of many nations coming to dwell with God. This breadth of vision would have fit well into the gospel as understood in the community that Luke addressed. His account of Jesus' life takes us from Nazareth to the whole Mediterranean world. Zechariah and the other eleven "minor prophets" may be "minor" but their message can be "major." Read them! AMEN