Burning Strength Homilies

Forging a new identity is a theme we can trace in this weekend's readings. Beginning with our first reading, Ezra is looking over the destruction of his beloved Jerusalem It was once a great city He’s heard stories and perhaps even saw it as a little boy But it has since been destroyed by conquerors He looks around and sees his own facial expression in his fellow Israelites. Distraught, saddened, and hopeless. But instead of simply brewing in the reality of the situation Ezra finds a copy of the Torah, the first 5 books of scripture He begins to read from it so that all could hear The stories of their ancestors of faith changed the mood from sorrow to excitement They began to believe and to dream They were to do their best to unite and rebuild And then we get the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians He too is reminding them of their own heritage And helping them understand that they are to forge a Church with Christ at its head And because of Christ, the whole community is connected in and of one body