what is the source of fear and bitterness - 19th week tuesday 2015

Today we read from our first reading, from the book of Judges.  Judges in the Old Testament are not the judges we have now who sit in court and hear cases.  In the Old Testament Judges were military leaders during that time in the history of Israel when it was not yet ruled by kings.  Each to their own tribe and each were ruled by the tribal leader.  But when Israel was in crisis because of an external enemy God raised Judges who united the twelve tribes militarily in order to fight a common enemy. 

Today we read the call of one of the major judges by the name of Gideon.  Who was Gideon?

In the beginning of the story we see the angel of the Lord appearing to Gideon saying, “The LORD is with you, O champion!” 

But Gideon was no champion.  He was actually hiding in the wine press because he was afraid.  He was hiding afraid because the Midianites might steal the little wheat that he had.

Gideon replied to this greeting of the angel saying, “My Lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?  Where are his wondrous deeds of which our fathers told us when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?”  Gideon was not only afraid.  He was also bitter.  Damo sia reklamo kag kasakit sang buot.

And when God said, Go with the strength you have and save Israel, Gideon replied, “Please, my lord, how can I save Israel? My family is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.”  Gideon was also timid.  He was bitter but he also felt he has nothing to offer to help improve things. 

Now we come to the source of Gideon’s fear and cowardice –palareklamo, palakumod tapos wala man may ginabuhat because he feels he is not up to the task.  Bitterness and timidity - these are the sources of the cowardice of Gideon.

We also feel this way sometimes, isn’t it?  We feel hurt, we feel an injustice has been done to us, we feel we have been slighted, and yet we could not confront the person concerned because we are afraid.  And so we just contend ourselves with feeling hurt and angry, we just contend ourselves with backbiting and back stabbing.  Did these feelings of anger and bitterness free Gideon from this situation of servitude?  It did not.  Did it make his situation better?  It did not. Did this bitterness and anger make the other person better, did these make the source of our troubles improve?  It did not.

What is it then that transforms a coward to confront his enemy?  What is it that gives the timid person the capacity to believe that something can be done with his situation?  What is it that empowers the person to stand up for what is right and what is just?  It is our encounter with the Lord.  Like Gideon what empowers us is our encounter with the Lord.