20180726 JADED

26 JULY, 2018, Thursday, 16th Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

Jeremiah 2:1-3,7-8,12-13 ©

I brought you to a fertile country and you defiled it

The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying, ‘Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem:

‘“The Lord says this:

I remember the affection of your youth,

the love of your bridal days:

you followed me through the wilderness,

through a land unsown.

Israel was sacred to the Lord,

the first-fruits of his harvest;

anyone who ate of this had to pay for it,

misfortune came to them –

it is the Lord who speaks.”

‘I brought you to a fertile country

to enjoy its produce and good things;

but no sooner had you entered than you defiled my land,

and made my heritage detestable.

The priests have never asked, “Where is the Lord?”

Those who administer the Law have no knowledge of me.

The shepherds have rebelled against me;

the prophets have prophesied in the name of Baal,

following things with no power in them.

‘You heavens, stand aghast at this,

stand stupefied, stand utterly appalled

– it is the Lord who speaks.

Since my people have committed a double crime:

they have abandoned me,

the fountain of living water,

only to dig cisterns for themselves,

leaky cisterns

that hold no water.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 35(36):6-11 ©

In you, Lord, is the source of life.

Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven;

your truth to the skies.

Your justice is like God’s mountain,

your judgements like the deep.

In you, Lord, is the source of life.

O Lord, how precious is your love.

My God, the sons of men

find refuge in the shelter of your wings.

They feast on the riches of your house;

they drink from the stream of your delight.

In you, Lord, is the source of life.

In you is the source of life

and in your light we see light.

Keep on loving those who know you,

doing justice for upright hearts.

In you, Lord, is the source of life.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Prophets and holy men longed to hear what you hear

The disciples went up to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:

You will listen and listen again, but not understand,

see and see again, but not perceive.

For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,

their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,

for fear they should see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their heart,

and be converted

and be healed by me.

‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

JADED

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ JER 2:1-3,7-8,12-13; MT 13:10-17 ]

Are you jaded with life? Indeed, many of us are. That is why we find life such a drudgery, a chore, something to endure, tolerate and we live each day hoping that the day will be over soon. Indeed, when we look at ourselves, we are not much different from the Israelites, their leaders, priests and prophets. They started well but over time, they had lost their steam. Religion and politics were institutionalized. Everything was carried out perfunctorily without any personal conviction or passion for God or for others. They had lost their zeal in serving God and His people. It was simply an iron rice bowl to keep themselves surviving.

This is true especially when it comes to our work or profession. We start well when we embark on our first job. We are so grateful that we are able to find employment instead of idling around doing nothing at home and worrying about our finances. We work hard and we prove ourselves. But over time, we too slacken in our work. We have been in the office for so many years and have received so many long service award medals. We are so comfortable where we are that we do not want any change. We are simply just watching over our interests and no longer at the service of others.

This is equally true even for those in priestly and religious vocations as well. They were inspired by their love for Christ and the Church to offer themselves for the priesthood or religious life, to serve Christ and His people. They started with great enthusiasm and passion but after years of service, they too have lost their zeal. They are now minimalists. They find their parishioners a nuisance and not good news to them when they come to look for help. Instead of seeing such occasions as opportunities to reach out to them, they become a burden to us.

Greater still is the relationship between husbands and wives. When they were courting, they were so loving and caring of each other, making time to listen to each other and finding ways to make the other person feel loved and understood. But now, the tender love and passion for each other is gone. They no longer have time for each other to share their joys and sorrows. Being together now is about attending to the household chores and daily tasks. They are so busy with their own work that they take each other for granted. This often leads to misunderstanding, quarrels, disagreements, fights and sometimes even divorce.

This was precisely the complaint that God had against Israel. “I remember the affection of your youth, the love of your bridal days: you followed me through the wilderness, through a land unsown.” God had loved Israel as His son and His bride. The Lord had revealed His love for them in so many ways, especially by delivering them from Egypt with might and power, by providing for their needs in the desert for forty years and delivering the Promised Land to them.

Then like the rest of us, they abused their privileges. The Lord said, “I brought you a fertile country to enjoy its produce and good things; but sooner had you entered than you defiled my land, and made heritage detestable.” Instead of worshipping the true God that led them out of Israel, they worshipped Baal, the god of fertility. They failed to keep the covenanted laws that promote justice and right relationships with each other and with strangers. The kings as shepherds of His people were not looking after the sheep of the Lord. The prophets, instead of speaking the truth from God, were saying things to please the people so that they would be popular. Indeed, “The priests have never asked, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who administer the Law have no knowledge of me. The shepherds have rebelled against me; the prophets have prophesied in the name of Baal, following things with no power in them.”

What are the causes that lead us to boredom, to lose interest, that leave us drained, worn out and dissipated? Firstly, it is due to our forgetfulness. This is always the problem in life. We forget who we were and how much we had to suffer before. We forget that we were nobody and were it not for the help of the people around us and the grace of God, we would not be where we are today. Forgetfulness leads to ingratitude because we take things for granted. We think we have earned them ourselves. Hence, we become arrogant and self-centered.

The antidote to forgetfulness is therefore to remember with gratitude all our blessings in life. The Church invites us to always give thanks and praise to God for the great things He has done for us in our morning and evening prayers. Most of all, the Church invites us to celebrate the Eucharist daily, which is a time to remember His love for us in His passion and resurrection, and for us to give thanks to Him for His unconditional love and mercy. Doing this in remembrance of Him is what will empower us to do the same in serving our fellowmen without conditions, washing their feet like humble servants of the Lord.

Secondly, listlessness is due to the routine of life. When we do things like a robot without feelings, without passion and without having a clear motive and vision of what we are doing, then we are just doing things but not involved in a mission. This is the danger for husbands and wives because they manage their household like a routine. They no longer take time to appreciate each other, consider what they are doing, and whether they can improve their family life more and more. How is it that we seek to improve our work and businesses, but we do not have the same enthusiasm in building up our families?

Listlessness is overcome by creativity. We must learn to be creative like our Lord. He did not simply do what the religious leaders did, hoping that people would come to the temple. Instead, He reached out often to the poor, the grassroots and those in need of encountering God’s good news. When He was no longer welcomed in the synagogue, He took His preaching to the plains, mountains and the market place. Many of our Church organizations lack creativity. Often, when it comes to preaching and teaching our young people, or in communicating with them, we are out of touch. More people will read what is secular news but not what is Catholic news. It seems the world speaks more directly to the people than the Church. We are losing contact with the people.

Thirdly, if we are jaded, it is because of complacency. When we are doing the same things repeatedly, it means that we are complacent. Many of us are quite contented where we are. We do not want change and we resist change. We just want to protect our turf. That is why for such people, the Lord said, “You will listen and listen again, but not understand, see and see again, but not perceive. For the heart of this nation has grown coarse, their ears are dull of hearing.” Yes, if there are people who are not keen to listen to God it is because they do not desire any conversion in their lives. They have lost their zeal, mission and love for the Lord. Whatever you initiate or propose, such people, especially if they are holding offices, will thumb down our proposals and squash any new initiatives.

However, if we look at Jesus, He was always proactive. He knew that things could not remain the same in the way the Good News of God is proclaimed to the people. He knew that the way to reach out of the people was by drawing close to them instead of isolating all the presumed sinners like the scribes and Pharisees did. Jesus would eat and sit with tax-collectors and sinners and even reach out to prostitutes. He would be with the poor, the uneducated and give them the chance to grow and prove themselves. Instead of using theological jargon to talk to the people God, He used parables so that the hearers would be able to identify themselves in the stories and so opened their hearts to welcome Him.

Finally, if we are jaded, it is because of our sins. It is because we are in sin that we no longer desire to hear the truth. Isaiah said, “they have shut their eyes for fear they shall see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed by me.” Sins blind and cripple us from seeing our lives with the wisdom of God instead of the deception of the world. Sin makes us slaves of our addictions and fearful of God and of the world. We become insecure, burdened by guilt and paralyzed by our sins.

Consequently, today, we are invited to turn away from the sins that hold us. We are called instead to return to the Lord. The Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah, “they have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, only to dig cisterns for themselves, leaky cisterns that hold no water.” Indeed, if we want to renew our life again, we must ground our life in Christ. The good news is that if we are sincere in searching for Him, we will find our path to a life of joy and passion regardless of whatever state of life we are in. “Happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear!” Indeed, if we want to be healed of our sight and deafness, we must come to the Lord, as the psalmist proclaims is the source of life. “Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven; your truth to the skies. O Lord, how precious is your love. In you is the source of life and in your light we see light.”

Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together

Wednesday 25 July 2018

JADED

Readings at Mass

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