Please read the passage before the homily:
Israel had gone into exile with its capital city and temple destroyed. Under Cyrus the Israelites had returned to the land and had begun the hard work of rebuilding. They had found the work hard and frustrating at times.
It was time for a public statement; something called a lament to acknowledge the relationship of people towards God. Its purpose is to reground the people with God by recognizing the relation’s history and the responsibility of God and of the people for the situation.
Ezra acknowledged the sins of the people and the mercy of God. The exile was the result of the people’s sins, and the restoration of the people was the result of God’s mercy. The difficulties of rebuilding are eased by the favor of God, as manifested by the good will of the emperor.
The result of the lament was to rekindle the energies of the Israelites for the task of rebuilding.
Do we need a lament in our lives? Are we stuck between our transgressions and God’s mercy? Do we need to say, “Lord God we have sunned against you. Yet you are our Father, and we depend on your merciful love and kindness.” Then we ask for help and express our intention to listen again to the word of God for guidance.
Ezra prayed and God gave encouraging support to the people through the prophet Haggai, who will speak to us tomorrow and Friday, and Zechariah, whose writings will come to us Saturday and next week.