The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Meditation: Nehemiah 2:1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artach’shashta the king, it happened that I took the wine and brought it to the king. Prior to then I had never appeared sad in his presence. 2 The king asked, “Why do you look so sad? You’re not sick, so this must be some deep inner grief.” At this, I became very fearful, 3 as I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why shouldn’t I look sad, when the city, the place where my ancestors’ tombs are, lies in ruins; and its gates are completely burned up?” 4 The king asked me, “What is it that you want?” I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, if your servant has won your favor, send me to Y’hudah, to the city of my ancestors’ tombs, so that I can rebuild it.” 6 With the queen sitting next to him, the king asked me, “How long is your trip going to take? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a time.
7 I then said to the king, “If it pleases the king, have letters given to me for the governors of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will let me pass through until I reach Y’hudah; 8 and also a letter for Asaf the supervisor of the royal forests, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress belonging to the house, for the city wall and for the house I will be occupying.” The king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me.

Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
Why do you look sad? (Nehemiah 2:2)
What makes you sad?
Someone hurt me long ago. I don’t have a spouse, a child, a satisfying job, robust health, financial security, or a nest egg. I long for answers to challenges that seem insurmountable, dilemmas that seem insoluble.
I may be sad because someone else is hurting. My child or friend is suffering because of an incurable illness or an ill-advised choice. So many people in our world are hungry or homeless, their very lives at risk because of warfare, genocide, or natural disaster. I feel helpless.
Although he lives in exile, Nehemiah has a secure position in the pagan court. So when he hears about the sorry state of affairs back in his homeland, he could easily have dismissed the news as irrelevant. “It’s a good thing I’m doing well here. Too bad for everyone back home.” Instead, he identifies so strongly with his God and his countrymen that he can’t help feeling sad. He pays attention to how he feels.
But Nehemiah doesn’t stop there. He asks God, “What shall I do about this? How can I turn my strong emotion into action?”
When the king notices his sadness and asks why, Nehemiah pauses to pray before he answers. God shows him what he is in a position to do, so Nehemiah boldly petitions the king for the resources to help his countrymen.
Sadness is a God-given emotion. In fact, there are many things that sadden our Lord. It’s fine to linger with that sadness, but the direction of our prayer should always be, “Holy Spirit, thank you for this strong emotional reaction. What are you calling and equipping me to do about it?”
One person can set a chain of events in motion that makes a huge difference. Think about St. Monica praying tirelessly for her son, Augustine. Think about St. Catherine of Siena admonishing the pope. Think about Mother Teresa picking up a dying man on the streets of Calcutta. Each of these individuals was saddened by a situation, and turned to the Lord for guidance. Then each took one small step that set the whole world on a different path.
“Holy Spirit, what makes me sad or angry today? What are you inviting me to do about it?” Amen!
Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept
as we remembered Tziyon.
2 We had hung up our lyres
on the willows that were there,
3 when those who had taken us captive
asked us to sing them a song;
our tormentors demanded joy from us —
“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”
4 How can we sing a song about Adonai
here on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Yerushalayim,
may my right hand wither away!
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I fail to count Yerushalayim
the greatest of all my joys.
Luke 9:57 As they were traveling on the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Yeshua answered him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me!” but the man replied, “Sir, first let me go away and bury my father.” 60 Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me say good-by to the people at home.” 62 To him Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”
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