Earlier this year, successive victories by politicians from the extreme right sent panic waves around the world. It should be noticed that all these extreme rightists were democratically elected. This only stands as a witness to the fact that these extreme rightists existed among the public even when secular values and concerns of the working class was upheld by the left. Liberals and conservatives, republicans and democrats, all co-exist. It depends on the leadership as to which ideology is pushed forward and whether the last and the least are cared for.

The first reading stands testimony to the importance of such leadership. King Cyrus was the one under whom the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews ended. He did not stop there but went on to support the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem. He was a king who extended mercy even to his captives and restored dignity to them. We, who live in an age when the number of refugees worldwide is ever rising, are urged to follow the example of King Cyrus and remember also that even Our Lord was once a refugee.