I have broken up with two girlfriends in my life. Well, correction. I have had two girlfriends break up with me. Way more accurate. In both instances we had been dating for a few years and it felt serious. Like we were going to go places together. In the end, it was only I who was told to go places. As many of you must know, breaking up from a serious relationship is very hard. It can trigger a very deep sense of despair. A degree of hopelessness. A feeling that this emotional pain will never go away. But, of course, it usually does. We move on. We find new love. I certainly did.
But then there are causes of despair that does not easily pass. A long illness in a spouse, relative or close friend. Or an illness that you, yourself, experiences. Being stuck in a job that does not fulfill you. Maybe seems like a dead end. An unplanned, crisis pregnancy. Living with the after effects of having an abortion. Dealing with addiction in yourself or a loved one. In all these cases, there is a dramatic shift in a person’s world. What they may have come to depend on has suddenly gone away and it does not seem there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopelessness.
Today’s first reading comes from the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah. He prophesized during the years 640 to 609 B.C. Just a few years before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the Israelites captive. Israel was under a strain from the Assyrians as well as the Babylonians. Life did not have much hope. Zephaniah preached to them that this disaster came about due to their unceasing worship of false gods in place of the one true God. They also were dealing with leaders who were unjust and abusive. Zephaniah warned them that it was these evil behaviors that have led, and would lead further, to their downfall. The first two of the three chapters of the book of Zephaniah are filled with doom and gloom. He warns of what God has in store for them as sinners. For example, in the early verses of Chapter 2, Zephaniah says:
Before you are driven away, like chaff that disappears; Before there comes upon you
the blazing anger of the LORD; Before there comes upon you
the day of the LORD’s anger.
But the prophet takes a turn in Chapter 3. He strikes a more conciliatory tone. One of forgiveness that breeds hope. God will leave a remnant in Jerusalem at the time of the exile. Those remaining will be humble and show a fear of the Lord. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies. And the Lord says:
Shout for joy, daughter Zion! sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem!
Why the change? Why should the Israelites now have a sense of hope and promise in the face of despair and gloom? Its because of how the Lord feels about His people:
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
God has FORGIVEN them, He has removed all judgement. And for Zephaniah this is incredibly liberating in that the result of this forgiveness on the part of the Lord is that their hopelessness has turned to joy. For the Israelites in the Old Testament forgiveness requires an acknowledgement and repentance of their sin but also some tangible sacrifice. Typically the offering of an animal or grain offering. In the desert, when the Israelites fled Egypt, forgiveness involved once per year placing the sins of the community on a goat and it was sent out into the desert to die. Hence the beginning of the term “scapegoat”. A foreshadowing of what was to come.
Jesus died for our sins. He was the ultimate scapegoat. The lamb that was sacrificed once for our sins. So that now all we have to do is call upon His name, ask for forgiveness of our sins in the sacrament of Confession. Then the priest, acting in Persona Christi (in the person of Christ) absolves us of our wrongdoing. We then return to a whole relationship with the Father. Sin no longer acting as an obstacle to joy. A way out of our hopelessness.
But what about all those circumstances I mentioned at the outset of this reflection? Situations not born necessarily of sin? Such as a long illness or loss of a job? I believe this is another concept that the Israelites had lost an awareness of. The idea of identity. Of who they were. They were, as we are, children of God. Who are meant to spend eternity with Him when our time here is done. Many of these circumstances involve suffering or loss of position, status or financial security. But none take away from us who we are and where we headed ultimately. And as Zephaniah tried to teach the Israelites, and as Jesus has been trying to teach us, forgiveness and identity overcome hopelessness. Leading to Joy.
Marilyn and Tammy. Those are the names of my first girlfriends. We stay in touch every now and again. They are still wonderful people. But what I have now I would not trade for anything. A loving and committed relationship with Elise. An identity as God’s son who He willingly forgives when I mess up and truly repent. Hope and joy born out of love and forgiveness. Sounds like a winning recipe.
