Faith comes from what is heard…
The combination of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, restrictions and medical developments has turned out to be a fertile ground for a great variety of theories offering explanations for our predicament. They range from strictly scientific ones at one end of the spectrum to those completely rejecting science, logic or common sense at the opposite end. Some of them have been dubbed ‘conspiracy theories’, a label that hardly works as a wake-up call for those who follow such theories. More often such a label only fortifies such beliefs. However, so-called “conspiracy theories” are not a new phenomenon, specific to our modern lives. We can easily find weird ideas in the past; some of them were rather inconsequential hobbies while others led to deadly outcomes, such as the Holocaust. What’s new with the current outcrop is that modern means of communication have made their proliferation so much easier than in the past. Even a few years back I would occasionally receive by post materials promoting various weird ideas and theories. It meant that the sender (usually anonymous) had to photocopy some articles, put them in the envelope and address it, put on a stamp and drop it into the post box. Spreading the idea involved a significant cost and a lot of effort. Not anymore. The internet in general, and social media in particular, have made the proliferation of even the weirdest ideas virtually cost-free. To make it worse, the algorithms that power those services create echo chambers where people get more and more entrenched in their views. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Luddite raging against modern technology; in fact, I use it extensively and see a lot of advantages. Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages and challenges that we have to be aware of if we want to use it safely.
Faith comes from what is heard…
In today’s first reading we heard about a kind of celebration, with the reading of the Book of the Law at its centre. The event created quite a stir among those attending it: “the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.” We need a wider context to understand this whole situation. It all started about 70 years earlier, when the Kingdom of Juda was conquered by the Babylonian Empire, Jerusalem was ransacked, and most Judean elites were deported 800 miles away to Babylon with no right to return. It was a national disaster. Soul-searching followed alongside the usual blame game and search for scapegoats. I’m pretty sure that there were theories and explanations aplenty among the fractured and disintegrated Judaean community in exile. Eventually, some 70 years later, they were granted permission to return and rebuild Jerusalem as a de facto vassal state of the Persian Empire. Mostly the second and third generation of the exiles (life expectancy was quite low in ancient times) arrived at a ruined Jerusalem, overrun by rather hostile inhabitants who had made their home there. Instead of the sunny uplands as proclaimed by their prophets, the reality was harsh and far from splendid. Morale was low and many questioned their decision to exchange the relative safety and comforts of Babylon for this quagmire. So, the two men in charge, Nehemiah and Ezra, called a special event; the one we heard about in today’s first reading.
Faith comes from what is heard…
The public reading of the Book of the Law, the Jewish Holy Scripture, was the central part of the event. However, a very important part of that was played by “translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read. The Levites […] were instructing the people.” In other words, the word of God was applied to the people’s history and their present situation, casting a new light on their predicament and their prospects. The congregation gradually came to a new and deeper, spiritual understanding of the whole situation. Although it was a sad realisation that their historical and current hardship was a result of straying from the right path, it was also a turning point. They had learnt from past mistakes and looked with hope to the future.
Faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes from the preaching of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
Life can be hard and test us in so many ways. From global threats, political and social instabilities and injustice to personal challenges and tragedies – most of us have, are facing or will face difficulties. Unfortunate as it is, suffering is an undesired but inescapable part of life; it takes different shapes and forms for different people, but no one is free of it. We should alleviate it whenever possible; we certainly should work hard to avoid inflicting suffering on others. But we should also try to find a deeper meaning in our own hardships. When we listen to and apply the word of God to our lives, it can cast a new light, so we have “courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.”