Main news for 5 April 2017

The day of the Lord, the day when the Lord would come to His land, to His people, was expected in Israel as a day of triumph over the pagans, the day of Israel's reign over all nations. But the prophets bring an entirely different vision of this day: the people of God are sunk in sins, God's holiness and human sin are incompatible, and therefore the day of the Lord is darkness, not light; it is not triumph, but the day of wrath, Dies irae. Remember the famous Requiems by Mozart and Verdi. And no human attempts to fulfill the law will save on that day. Is there any possibility of salvation? There is, the prophet Zephaniah answers. Seek the Lord, not His law, but Him Himself. Seek righteousness, not the righteousness of human deeds, but the righteousness of God that comes from Him Himself. Seek humble-mindedness, a remarkable word that paradoxically joins humility and wisdom. It can be understood as "humble wisdom," that is, wisdom that is not proud, not puffed up, but aware of its limits and open to the voice of the Wisdom of God. And it can be understood as "wise humility," that is, not humility at any cost, not "self-abasement beyond pride," but openness to His world guided by God, growth in relationships of love toward God and people.

Where is this day, in the past or in the future? In neither. It is in the present. For the Lord came into this world and remains in it until His final victory, and we live in this day, and Zephaniah's words are addressed directly to us.