Thursday of the
Second Week of Lent
(Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31)
Thomas Oden, an American theologian, recently published
his autobiography. A reviewer says that Oden
has known just about everybody who was anybody in theology for the last sixty
years. Yet, the commentator goes on,
Oden never mentions these historic figures like Karol Wojtjyla, our St. John
Paul II, to promote himself. Rather the memoir
is a testimony to Oden’s humility. As a
young man following the theological currents of his time, Oden was told that he
needed to relearn his theological roots.
He did that with the result that he no longer trusted so much in often
quoted contemporary thinkers. Rather he
trusted more the gospel as it was interpreted by the Fathers of the
Church. The advice that Thomas Oden
received is close to that which we hear in today’s reading from Jeremiah.
Jeremiah prophesied in a time of crisis for the kingdom
of Judah. The nation was made subject to
the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. When
King Zedekiah of Judah tried to forge alliances to free itself from hegemony,
Jeremiah warned that there was no hope in men.
He was ridiculed and almost murdered for speaking the truth revealed to
him by God. The insurrection failed, and
Nebuchadnezzar came to destroy Jerusalem.
Jeremiah was vindicated at least for his message to place hope in God,
not in human beings.
We too are well advised to trust in God. Although some men and women merit a measure
of hope, they should never cause us to divert our foremost attention from
God. Today’s gospel warns us not to put
our stock in pleasure either. No, first and
foremost we show our hope in God by taking care of the poor as He constantly exhorts
us.
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