(Please read the Scripture passage before reading the homily.)
Jeremiah had reached the conclusion that his enemies were plotting against him. He prayed to God. He did not think it fair that the people wanted to get rid of him because his sole purpose for speaking had been to benefit his people. He laid out his case before God, arguing for God’s help. He was like Volodymyr Zelenskyy who now is arguing for help for his country as he sees the onslaught of his enemies.
Would God stand by and observe without taking action to help Jeremiah? How should God help the people of Ukraine now? Jeremiah and Volodymyr Zelenskyy both stand before us in complaint.
God did not abandon Jeremiah. He lived to see the exile of his people and continued his work of bringing God’s word to them. His work consisted of warning God before the exile and encouraging them during it.
God does not abandon us. How the devastation against Ukraine will work out, we do not know. Probably there are as many possibilities as there are readers of this blog. We can say that God will not abandon the people of Ukraine, but that does not absolve us of our responsibilities to o what we can to support the Ukrainians in their distress.
We may not be able to convince heads of state how to remedy the situation, but we are capable of doing what we can. How we support those around us in their troubles is how our leaders support other nations. How we protect those in need of our help locally is how our leaders protect those in danger worldwide. The values we hold as individuals are values our leader use on the international level. We can criticize the leadership of the nations, but we need to criticize our own individual actions before we blame our leaders for their actions.
Jeremiah’s point was that he had protected his people from harm and therefore had a right to ask for protection. Unless we have done what we have the ability to do, we have no right to ask for help. Jeremiah was called to serve, not to be served. Every prophet, every disciple of God has the same call, to serve and not be served.
I hope that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is successful in saving his people.