The Noontimes

Lamentations 1-2: Earthly Woes, Heavenly Realities

Friday, November 15, 2024

“The sixth century B.C. was an age of crisis, a turning point in the history of Israel. With the destruction of the temple and the interruption of its ritual, the exile of the leaders and loss of national sovereignty, an era came to an end. Not long after the fall of Jerusalem (587) an eyewitness of the national humiliation composed these five laments. They combine confession of sin, grief over suffering and humiliation of Zion, submission to merited chastisement, and strong faith in the constancy of Yahweh’s love and power to restore. The union of poignant grief and unquenchable hope reflects the constant prophetic vision of the weakness of man and the strength of God’s love; it also shows how Israel’s faith in Yahweh could survive the shattering experience of national ruin.”  (CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE, 1017)

If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God.  Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:8-11

It is easy to fall into discouragement and to see our situation as hopeless.  But discouragement is a tool of the enemy of mankind, the devil.  Let us counter him by being agents of encouragement in our world.  In doing so, we become a powerful force for good and for the kingdom of God.  MAGNIFICAT Mini-Reflection, November 7, 2010 (97)

The world’s disordered affection loves pride, and God loves humility.  The world looks for honor, status, greatness, and God spurned these things, embracing disgrace, scorn and insult, hunger, thirst, cold and heat, even to a shameful death on the cross.  Catherine of Siena, MAGNIFICAT Meditation of the Day, November 6, 2010 (88-89)

The Book of Lamentations is the story of deep grief and extraordinary hope.  It is the story of a people who suffer greatly – some through their own fault, some innocently; and it is perhaps our own story. We will – at one point or other in our lives – find ourselves betrayed, with no place and no way to rest, groaning, crying, and unable to rise. We will find ourselves in some sort of captivity, with no one to console us; our enemies rejoice at our misfortune. We will be dishonored – rightly or wrongly – and we will at some time find ourselves worn out with weeping; within our weakened spirit all will be in ferment. Our little ones will faint from hunger on the streets or in the sealed off places of the wounded heart. There will – at one time or other – be terror on every side.

Yet, accompanying this bottomless sorrow will be the Christ – for this is where Christ dwells, with the suffering and with those who are utterly discouraged. When we allow ourselves to die to the world’s wishes with Christ, we live – and we live eternally. In fact, it is impossible for us to take our worldly perspective with us if we die to and in the eternal Christ. So why then are we in this world at all? Because here is where we learn to be and to act in God, in Christ, and in the Spirit.

We do not live for this world alone, but for the kingdom of heaven. It is easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal when the cares of this world become overwhelming. The world is good and a creation of God, but it is meant to direct us to the heavenly realities. Let us walk unwaveringly toward God and his kingdom.  MAGNIFICAT Mini-Reflection November 6, 2010 (91)  

When our earthly woes crowd round us to block out the light, let us call on the Christ who is beside, before, behind and within us – and let allow him to transform us. And let us witness to this world of woe that we are people made for a heavenly reality.

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