Isaiah Chapter 58 has a bit of a special place in the annual cycle of my religious year. Being married to a Jewish woman, the religious holidays not only include Christmas, Easter, Lent and Advent but we also observe Rosh Hashana, Selichot, Shavuot and Yom Kippur. During these feast days, and during each Sabbath, the Torah reading is followed by what is called the Haftarah…the reading after the Torah. This tradition is believed to have begun when Jews were prohibited from reading of Torah and therefore began reading associated passages from other parts of the Tanakh, the Jewish Bible containing the Torah, the books of the Prophets and the writings (such as Job, Wisdom and the Psalms).
Isaiah Chapter 58 is typically read as the Haftarah portion on Yom Kippur. So in addition to hearing it every 3rd year as part of the cycle of Catholic readings, I am exposed to it annually. But Isaiah 58 also holds a place in political history in that President Clinton read this text (at least verse 12) as part of his second inaugural speech in 1997. The focus on being the “Repairer of the Breach”. But what exactly is “The Breach”.
One definition of “Breach” is that it is a torn, broken or ruptured condition. Politically, the President was offering himself as the person who would spearhead the repair of what he saw as a breach in the country at that time. But for Isaiah, or at least the author of this part of the book of Isaiah, the breach was among the people in the city of Jerusalem following their return from Babylonian exile in the years 530-520 B.C. Cyrus, the Persian King, had released the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city, its walls and the temple. But there was a problem. Shortages. Of building materials, food, labor. Also debate on whether outsiders, non-Jews, would be allowed in the city. Quarreling ensued. There were also, as in every generation, the haves and the have-nots. Those who had these resources and those who were left wanting.
Layered on top of this building project was the rebirth of the faith. Ezra the scribe had taken on the task of re-educating the people of the ways of Torah. Of God’s ways and what He expected of them. A part of that expectation was the need to observe the Sabbath and to fast from work. They saw the need for self-affliction and denial as part of that Sabbath fast. Those observing this type of fast saw themselves as doing God’s work.
But there were some issues with this approach. The haves fasted from the food they had in plenty. The have-nots fasted because they had insufficient food. The haves abstained from work on the Sabbath but enforced work conditions on the laborers during the Sabbath. The people could not understand why God had ignored this type of fast. To them, the breach was the physical condition of the city and the temple. But for God, the breach was in the spiritual state of the people of Israel. There was a gapping hole in the relationship between God and His people. In the desire to care for those less fortunate. Rather the focus was on the technical aspect of fulfilling the law and not the spirit of that law.
I believe we are all called to recognize the breaches in our daily lives and make the effort to offer some type of reparation. Whether that be to attend to the physical needs of our neighbors by offering help at a homeless shelter or food bank. Or working towards the spiritual needs by assisting in a ministry at our parishes or neighboring faith communities. In today’s Gospel, Jesus recognized the breach in the spiritual life of Levi (Matthew) the tax collector. He called Matthew to follow him, much to the chagrin of the other apostles who saw Matthew as an enemy of his people. But not only did Jesus call Matthew but he dined with him and other sinners. Why? Because they needed the great physician to heal the spiritual brokenness that existed in their lives. For a wonderful portrayal of Matthew’s call, take a look at this clip from The Chosen:
So what can each of do in our lives to repair the breach? I guess that depends on each of our powers of observation. To actually see where there is need. This is a quality I sorely lack and something that I hope to work on this lent. For me, specifically, there is a situation that has developed in my area as part of the 40 Days for Life campaign. The prayer vigil group that organizes prayer outside abortion clinics all over the world. Recently, one of the sidewalk counselors at a nearby clinic engaged a woman seeking an abortion and discussed the options with her. She elected to keep her baby instead of having an abortion. But the reality is that the conditions that caused her to seek an abortion, the economic uncertainties of her life, remained.
The counselor has been working with her and the local 40 Days group to give her financial and emotional assistance during her pregnancy and after the birth of her child. Monetary donations, gift cards, clothing and cards of encouragement make up this effort. The woman, Kelsee, has moved back to Kansas where she will be able to get some financial help since she was in the foster system there. We all hope to repair the breach in her life and hopefully open her heart to begin to receive God’s graces. If any of the readers of A Catholic Moment would like to lend assistance to Kelsee feel free to contact me via Facebook messenger (search for John Ciribassi) and I can give you the details on how to help.
Have a wonderful start to Lent and may it serve to open our eyes to the divisions in our world and the needs in our neighborhoods. In God’s words from Isaiah 58: 6-7
Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?
