August 1, 2014 Friday 17th Week in Ordinary Time [St. Alphonsus Liguori] Jer 26: 1-9 / Ps 69: 5, 8-10, 14 / Mt 13: 54-58 Reading: Jer 26: 1-9 At the beginning of the reign of Judahs king Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah: Yahweh says this, Stand in the courtyard of Yahwehs House and say to all who come from the towns of Judah to worship in Yahwehs house - all that I command you to say; do not omit anything! Perhaps they will listen to you. Perhaps each one will turn from his wicked ways. Then I will change my mind and forget the destruction that I have planned to inflict on them because of their wicked deeds. Tell them: This is what Yahweh says: You have not obeyed me and you have failed to walk according to my Law which I have set before you. You have not heeded my servants, the prophets, whom I have persistently sent to you. If you stubbornly close your ears to them, I will treat this House of mine as I treated the sanctuary of Shiloh and let all the nations see that Jerusalem is a cursed city. The priests, the prophets and all the people heard what Jeremiah said in Yahwehs House. When Jeremiah finished saying all that Yahweh had commanded, he was besieged by the priests and prophets saying, You are bound to die! How dare you speak in Yahwehs Name telling us that this House will be treated like Shiloh and this city is to become a deserted ruins. And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the House of Yahweh. Gospel: Mt 13: 54-58 He went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, Where did he get this wisdom and these special powers? Isnt he the carpenters son? Isnt Mary his mother and arent James, Joseph, Simon and Judas his brothers? Arent all his sisters living here? How did he get all this? And so they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family. And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith Reflection: On hindsight, we may have wondered at the indifference or faithlessness of the town mates of our Lord after reading about the miracles he performed. They could not accept that the neighbor with whom they grew up is now a great prophet and teacher. In the Old Testament, Jeremiah was called by God to be his prophet to the people of Judah. However, the Judeans could not accept him and took offense at him to the extent of wanting to kill him. There is an old saying, Familiarity breeds contempt. With this, we can better understand the reaction of the Nazarene villagers in todays gospel reading. How many of us can still recognize our close childhood friends, playmates, schoolmates, and for those of us who are teachers, our former students, and are happy that they have become prominent personalities in society? Some of us might be filled with envy. On the other hand, how do we see our children, nephews, nieces, cousins, etc who are now doing great in their respective careers or chosen vocations? Are we not proud of them? They may have become Fr. A, Dr. B, Mayor C, Principal D or Bishop E, but in our family and close circle, they will always be our dear son, daughter, nephew or niece, sister, brother, etc with tender memories about them. As parents, many of us have to struggle with accepting the reality that our sons and daughters who were once dependent on us are now mature and capable of independent living and they dont need us anymore. Possibly they may have taken for granted the persons, things and memories they used to be familiar with. Many of us have favorite prayers or devotions, like novenas, rosary. Do we do them almost mechanically in the same manner we breathe, swim or drive a car? When we attend mass or Eucharistic celebration, are we so used to the ritual gestures and responses that we just passively do our part barely aware that the greatest of miracles is taking place in our midst at every mass? Can we say, Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,... with that same internal disposition of that centurion in his encounter with our Lord each time we receive Jesus in the Eucharist? May the soul of Sir Austin Ngozichukwu Ihejirika and the souls of your faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. Happy New month friends
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 05:16:54 +0000
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