Daily Readings - Thu Jul 23 2020
Jeremiah
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying2"Go, and cry out to the ears of Jerusalem, saying: Thus says the Lord: I have remembered you, taking pity on your youth and on the charity of your betrothal, when you followed me into the desert, into a land which is not sown3Israel is holy to the Lord, the first of his fruits. All those who devour him commit an offense. Evils will overwhelm them, says the Lord.7And I led you into the land of Carmel, so that you would eat from its fruit and from its excellence. And having entered it, you defiled my land, and you turned my inheritance into an abomination8The priests have not said: ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who held the law did not know me. And the pastors betrayed me. And the prophets prophesied in Baal and followed idols12Be astonished at this, O heavens, and be utterly desolate, O gates of heaven, says the Lord13For my people have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the Fountain of living water, and they have dug for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that are unable to hold water
Matthew
10And his disciples drew near to him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?11Responding, he said to them: "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been given to them12For whoever has, it shall be given to him, and he shall have in abundance. But whoever has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him13For this reason, I speak to them in parables: because seeing, they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand14And so, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said, ‘Hearing, you shall hear, but not understand; and seeing, you shall see, but not perceive15For the heart of this people has grown fat, and with their ears they hear heavily, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and then I would heal them.16But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear17Amen I say to you, certainly, that many of the prophets and the just desired to see what you see, and yet they did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and yet they did not hear it
Sermon
In today's readings, we journey through themes of faithfulness and spiritual understanding. The first reading from Jeremiah paints a vivid picture of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. Once a devoted people who followed God into the desert, they later turned to idols, defiling the land and forsaking the living water. Jeremiah's lament highlights the consequences of spiritual blindness, where the people's hearts grew hardened, leading them to dig broken cisterns that could not hold the true water of life.
The Gospel from Matthew shifts our focus to Jesus explaining the purpose of parables to His disciples. He reveals that while some are granted the gift of understanding the mysteries of the kingdom, others remain in darkness. This divide is not arbitrary but stems from the condition of the heart. Jesus quotes Isaiah, emphasizing that some see but do not perceive, hear but do not understand, their hearts having grown fat and their ears heavy. Yet, the disciples are blessed for their openness to see and hear, a gift many prophets and righteous individuals longed for but did not receive.
Both readings converge on the themes of faith as a gift and the perils of spiritual complacency. Jeremiah warns against turning away from God, while Matthew underscores the importance of receptivity to God's word. In our daily lives, we are called to cherish the gift of faith, avoiding modern idols that distract us from the living water. Let us remain vigilant, grateful for the spiritual sight and hearing we have, and use these gifts to live in accordance with God's will. May we not let our hearts grow fat, but instead stay open to God's grace, continually seeking to see, hear, and understand.