On the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 26, 2016) the readings for Mass include the dramatic story of how James and John want to destroy a Samaritan town. The town had refused to admit Jesus and the disciples because they were on their way to Jerusalem. The Samaritans worshiped the Lord in their own territory and did not recognize Jerusalem. John and James wanted to:
“……call down fire from heaven to consume them…”
as Elijah did in 2 Kings 1:10. I can imagine that this would have been satisfying. I can see them looking forward to wrecking vengeance on the hated Samaritans.
I would have chosen a different first reading for this Sunday. We will hear the story from 1 Kings 19:16-21 in which Elisha turns his back on his former life to follow the Lord. This is one of the messages of Sunday’s gospel (Luke 9:51-62). However, since I just read the book of Jonah, I would have chosen it because his attitude was the same as that of James and John. Jonah ran away rather than preach to the city of Nineveh. When he did preach, the city repented. Jonah was angry. He wanted God to destroy the city just as James and John wanted the Samaritan town destroyed.
What happened when John and James made this request?
“Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.”
Nineveh was the capitol of Babylon - now Iraq. Today’s popular sentiment is close to that of Jonah’s - these people are evil, not to be trusted. In the words of one of our political leaders (Ted Cruz) we should call down fire, i.e. bomb them until the sand glows. Maybe the Lord has other ideas.
On a more personal level, we often meet people who do not seem to hear or understand our attempts to live and witness as Christians. Rather than get upset, we should just go to another town i.e. leave the situation. As has been said, they have their own higher power - and it is not us.
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