The Sword of the Spirit (83)

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God.  And today, Isaiah's vision touched my heart of hearts:

The vision of Isaiah the prophet concerning the southern kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem which he saw during the reigns of four Judean kings; good king Uzziah begat good king Jotham, who begat the bad king Ahaz, who in turn begat good king Hezekiah.  Notably, Ahaz reigned when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and Hezekiah’s reign ended a century before Judah’s captivity in Babylon.  Isaiah called Judah a sinful nation and the city of Jerusalem a harlot; he disclosed the word of the Lord to Judahites saying, “So when you spread your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you.  Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen.  Yor hands are full of bloodshed."

According to Reuters News Agency, the US Defense Secretary has started leading Christian prayer services at the Pentagon.  At a service last Wednesday, he prayed for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy”.

According to Reuters, Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, addressed tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday telling them that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars.  In his homily, he cited Isaiah 1:15: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.”

Something to contemplate as we enter the holiest week of our Christian calendar.