I read a story written by a priest who was sharing the experience he had while waiting in a grocery checkout line. Behind him was a little girl about 6 years old who was pulling the gum and candy off the shelves and complaining loudly. All the while her exasperated mother kept saying softly, “Be calm, Susan…relax Susan…take a deep breath, Susan.”
Finally, the priest turned to the mom and congratulated her, saying what a wonderfully patient mother Susan had. The mother looked at him and said: “I’m Susan.”
The little girl was obviously having a meltdown and showing her rebellious side. We hear something similar in our first reading from Zephaniah the Prophet who is talking about the rebellious and unfaithful people of Judah. He said, and it sounds like he’s describing the little girl in the checkout line:
Woe to the… rebellious…tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
Then he says about Judah’s unfaithfulness:
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
Like a lot of the prophets, Zephaniah’s words start with gloom, but end in joy. He was desperately condemning the way most of the people were living. He saw their greed, selfishness, and mainly, their unfaithfulness to the covenant and continually took them to task. He told them there was no hope except for a small group of followers…the remnant, he called them.
A remnant, of course, is a “little piece that is left over”. Zephaniah’s remnant are the ones who will stay faithful to God through both good and bad times. Through all their troubles, these remnant followers will seek God and put their trust in God.
What can we learn this Advent day from the remnant of Zephaniah’s time? What characteristics do they have that we can emulate? They are these:
- Courage in sharing our faith.
- Trust in God’s providence.
- Hope in God until the end.
May we, like the remnant people of old, witness our faith in all we say and do.
