A Secure Throne

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, August 27th, 2023:
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Isaiah
22.15, 19-23

Thus says the Lord God of hosts: Go to the steward, to Shebna, who is master of the household, and say to him:

“I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your post. On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

“I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honour to the house of his ancestors.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I only have to look as far as my own life, with all my weaknesses and sins, to see that humanity is burdened with the weight of sin. Even while we keep trying to respond to the divine call in our lives, we often fail. I mistrust or get discouraged about the way things are going in my life or the lives of those around me. And it’s not just me; if you watch or read the news much, it’s likely you’ve wondered how all of this mess could be under God’s sovereign power. 

When I see the weight of the evil in the world and in myself, I can recognize truthfully that we have an enemy who is craftily at work in this world, and is even winning some battles. But if I remain in the light of truth, and don’t allow the darkness of despair to overcome my mind and heart, I also remember that Christ has the final victory. The devil may be the prince of this world, but Jesus is the King of Kings. 

All this is on my heart while I’m reading the first reading. God powerfully promises to shut down the throne of Shebna because of Shebna’s pride and to raise up a true ruler of the house of David. This is the same God who spoke, “Let there be light,” and out of nothing, there was light; the same God who spoke to the deaf-mute man in the Gospel, “Be opened,” and his ears were opened and his tongue loosened. About the ruler He would raise up for Israel, this same God now declares through the prophet Isaiah, “He shall open and no one shall shut, he shall shut and no one shall open.”

While it remains a mystery that God allows free will and suffering and struggle to exist in this world and uses them to bring about good for those who love Him, I often need to choose to remember that everything is held within His power. When things feel out of control, Lord, You are my King. If I see a situation that seems beyond hope, Lord, in Your justice and mercy, You will bring about good here. When my understanding gets muddled, Jesus, You are the Truth. It’s a counteraction to the mockery of Christ’s Passion, when the soldiers weaved a crown of thorns and scorned Him with the title “King of the Jews.” Imagine the praise and glory resounding in heaven when we recognize in our hearts and declare aloud the truth of Christ’s kingship, His Divine authority on earth and in heaven. This is a King we can trust in. We can rest in the certainty of His promises.




Sr. Angela Burnam

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