Today’s first reading from the Book of Kings picks up where we left off yesterday.
In case you missed it, King Ahab desired the land of Naboth, an ordinary God-fearing man. However, Naboth believed it would go against his relationship with God to part with this land, and so he refused.
Greatly distressed, the king confides in his wife, Jezebel, who takes matters into her own hands and orchestrates the murder of Naboth and the taking of his land, given by God.
And God takes notice, sending His prophet Elijah with a message to Ahab that because he has given himself up to doing evil, he will pay the price: his life and every male of his lineage, both free and slave, will die.
The severity of the judgment is explained by the words of God: “…because you have provoked Me by leading Israel into sin.”
What surprised me was Ahab’s response. Unlike Adam in the Garden of Eden, Ahab doesn’t point to Jezebel’s role.
Instead, he tears his garments and, in an act of penance, puts on the coarse and irritating sackcloth on his bare skin. He also fasted and slept on sackcloth, meaning twenty-four hours a day, he was doing penance.
God, who sees all, noticed the contrition and humility of Ahab, an earthly king.
Ahab’s reaction caused me to reflect on three questions I’d like to share.
The first is: When we do wrong—when we sin, what does it take for us to humble ourselves before God, family, and others? What does it take to show contrition, a sincere sorrow?
Second, what is our sackcloth? How do we show genuine sorrow to God and others?
And third, do we ever lead others to sin, directly or indirectly?
Just like in the case of Ahab, God sends us messages when we’ve gone astray.
It might be through Scripture, a passage that reminds us of a wrong we’ve tried to rationalize or forget.
He sends messages through others who, out of charity, call us to accountability for our actions.
And God sends the Holy Spirit to wake us up when we least expect it, driving down a road, waiting in a line at the supermarket, or in the quiet of our homes; God speaks to us as sure as He spoke to Ahab.
May God bless you and your family, and may we take time each day to humbly examine our actions and inactions and, when needed and sincerely express our sorrow to God and loved ones, then go to Confession, where we will receive the grace of God to begin anew.
