Daily Readings - Thu Jul 21 2022
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
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.