When we look at today’s first reading, we can see it in light of the time then and now. This is from the latter part of what is known as the Babylonian Exile. This is when the Jews were taken from their land and held in Babylon for forty years. Imagine this scenario: You are surrounded by a foreign culture that is hostile to what you believe. Where do you turn for support. You turn to the like minded people of the day.

I remember attending a Vietnamese New Year’s celebration. I realized quite quickly that we were not only celebrating the New Year in Vietnam, we were celebrating the culture of what was South Vietnam whose capital city was Saigon. This was where the Vietnamese celebrated their mutual culture, history, but also the expectation that they would return triumphant to the country that existed before the Communist take over. Understand that these were Catholics who obviously are not welcome in Communist regimes, generally.

However, understand that their exile was deepening their own sense of community, hope and unity. This is what is happening in the reading from Isaiah. We see in the reading these powerful words of encouragement.

Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
He comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.

Let us look especially at these words: Say to those whose hearts are frightened. They have fear of the authorities in Babylon, they have fear if they will ever see the land of the Jews if their God will ever be there for them. What does God say through Isaiah. Be strong, fear not.

During this persecution of the Church we have lived through since 2002, which has been a painful time for many Catholics, we need to look around and ask the question what have we learned during this time. It has been a time when many Catholics learned just how strong or weak their faith is, and just how much God is there when things go wrong. They have also learned the famous saying, “Know who your friends are.” Many people who call themselves Catholic have tried to undermine their Church in the United Sstates, but over time true Catholics have been able to see who understand the faith and who is trying to politicize it. They have sharpened their tools of discernment, their sufferings have taught them of the presence of God and of what God is teaching them.

God calls His people to fear not and trust in his power which is greater than all the power of the political powers on the Earth. This does not mean that people are going to see fire and brimstone fall out of the sky the destroy unjust political entitites, but it means that Catholics can see through the eyes of their faith God working. They know that God loves them even when they find their own earthly world in disarray. In that they find a truth that can be shared among fellow believers in similar circumstances. This brings a solidarity with God and one another that one finds illustrated in Isaiah.

Let me give you an example. We live in a society that does all it can to avoid suffering. One Brazilian member of the New Song Community was caught off guard when we went to visit a man sick in the hospital. The nurse informed me that he was not there that he had just expired. The New Song Missionary looked at me asking what that meant. “He died.” The Brazilian realized that we are so reticent to talk about suffering and death that we come up with a word like “expired” to express the simple reality that someone died.

Yet, as Catholics we understand that suffering is not only a part of reality, but it is also part of the road to Heaven. An ancient teaching is that suffering is the fire that makes us like gold, precious and free of impurities. Therefore, when we encounter suffering we can see it as a way God purifies us to lead us closer to Him. This is something the members of the community at Isaiah came to learn as well.

Thomas A Kempis in the imitation of Christ reminds us to be patient in suffering. It is through this suffering that the tyranny of a world hostile to faith is tolerated until it passes by. (Chapter XXII, 6) We encounter these trials like those in Isaiah, that allows us to bear fruit in experiencing God’s truth while those who reject God experience their reward now, for it will not be theirs later.

Suffering when we accept it as a reality in our life and when it comes in a package that is unavoidable is a source of salvific grace. I learned along time ago that all wars are won with patience. Suffering is one such war. Yet, it is further won when we realize that through suffering we are coming closer to becoming the pure gold that he is making us everyday.

Photo Credits:

Top:Sailorr

Bottom: Yobro

Both via bigstockphoto.com