Daily Readings - Thu Jul 23 2020
Jeremiah
1The word of the LORD came to me, saying,2"Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD, "I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.3Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the LORD."7And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.8The priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.12Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD,13for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Matthew
10Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"11And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.12For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.13This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.14Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.15For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'16But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.17Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and 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.