Wednesday, July 20, 2022

 Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 1:1.4-10; Matthew 13:1-9)

Jeremiah in the first reading today has reason to be fearful.  The Lord has told Jeremiah that he will put His righteous words on his lips.  They will console but also chastise.  Not just people who regularly do evil will resent Jeremiah for speaking God’s words.  Pope Francis, echoing conventional wisdom, has said that there is a bit of larceny in all of us.  The regularly virtuous may not always welcome them either.

Nevertheless, the word of God can bring about wonders.  In his parable Jesus tells how the word coming to worthy listeners will have abundant fruit.  Everyday thousands of volunteers around the country give themselves to feed the homeless and poor.  They do so because they have heard the word of God tell of the feeding of the Israelites in the desert and Jesus providing the multitude with bread.

We too may find others resenting the word of God on our lips.  We may have to remind those who engage in ridicule that homosexuals are God’s children worthy of our respect.  Or we may have to tell our children that cohabiting offends God.  Such statements will cause us pain, but we do so out of love both for God and for those whom we address. 

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