TUESDAY, SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Jer 14: 17-22 Ps 79: 8-9, 11, 13 Mt 13: 36-43
FROM THORNY PATHS TO HOPEFUL HORIZONS
Human life can be compared very well to a seed growing in different phases, as we see in the parable of the sower. The seed passes through various stages including a flock of hungry devouring birds, thorny surroundings, rocky surfaces, and a fertile atmosphere. A question that stares right across our faces is about our response to these challenges and crises of life which are bound to surface in our lives too. The scripture tells us, “…you will have trouble in the world, but I have overcome the world!” (Jn 16:33). So, we might ask: would God allow us to pass through suffering? This need not necessarily be the conclusion we can draw during the times of our sufferings! Human actions have consequences; our wrong choices will have counterproductive results. Say, staying up late on the night before an exam will only affect in diminished levels of concentration and performance. The consequences of our choices, be they good or bad, come pursuing us, they tail us and there is no escape from it.
In this background, if we consider the ‘Israelite Exile’ and the sufferings that Israel went through as nation, it can point to a just punishment, which they deserved, a consequence of their actions of unfaithfulness to God. Jeremiah’s heart-wrenching cry to the Lord is but an expression of the nation’s pain. Israel acknowledges its wickedness and asks the Lord not to break his covenant with them and seek the Lord’s mercy.
Similarly, in our individual human lives, troubles, difficulties, and trials might disorient us and make us question God’s love for us. When the plant looks for a drop of water, or tries to extend its roots on the rocky ground, or when it is choked by thorns, the farmer is not far away; he will intervene at the right time, the Kairos for the liberation of that plant which is you and me. We only need to trust the timing of God’s liberation.
Response: For the sake of the glory of your name, free us O Lord.
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