Daily Readings - Thu Jul 21 2022
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
The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between God and his people, as well as the spiritual state of our own hearts. In the first reading from Jeremiah, we hear God’s lament over Israel’s infidelity. Once a people who followed God into the desert with fidelity, they have now turned away, defiling the land and forsaking the “Fountain of living water” for broken cisterns that cannot hold water. This passage is a call to repentance, urging us to recognize the emptiness of chasing after false idols and the richness of returning to the Lord, the source of all life.
In the Gospel, Jesus explains to his disciples why he speaks in parables. It is not to confuse or exclude, but to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom to those who are open to hearing. Jesus quotes Isaiah, emphasizing that some have hearts that have grown fat, ears that hear heavily, and eyes that are closed. These are people who have become spiritually dulled, unable to see or hear the truth even when it is right before them. Yet, Jesus assures the disciples that they are blessed because their eyes see and their ears hear. This is both a gift and a responsibility, for those who have been given much are called to steward it well.
These readings remind us that faith is not passive but active. Like the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time, we are tempted to turn away from God and seek comfort in fleeting, earthly things. But Jesus calls us to remain open, to keep our hearts soft and our spirits attentive. The parables are an invitation to deeper understanding, but they require us to engage with them, to seek the truth, and to live it out. Let us ask ourselves today: Are we like the disciples, blessed with eyes that see and ears that hear? Or have we allowed our hearts to grow dull, closing ourselves off to the grace and truth that God desires to pour into our lives? May we turn back to the Fountain of living water, seeking renewal and a deeper relationship with the Lord.