Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Ligouri, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Jeremiah 15:10.16-21; Matthew 13:44-46)

The prophet Jeremiah is treasured because his work it is so confessional.  Like St. Paul and St. Augustine, he does not flinch from revealing intimate feelings.  Even when his thoughts cast him in a dismal light, he expresses them. 

                                                                                            

In today’s first reading Jeremiah finds himself ridiculed for preaching the Lord’s judgment on Judah.  He is ostracized and persecuted after predicting Judah’s downfall.  His despair becomes so great that he feels that God Himself has betrayed him.  So he calls God “a treacherous brook,” that cannot be relied upon for water.  It is a faithless remark, but God neither condemns nor coddles Jeremiah for it.  Rather God allows Jeremiah to repent.  He gives him the opportunity to experience God’s goodness rather than wallow in self-pity.  Fortunately, Jeremiah opts for God.

Today the Church honors St. Alphonsus Ligouri.  In the eighteenth century Alphonsus served as a bishop, authored a well-reasoned moral theology, and founded the Redemptorist Order.  Like Jeremiah, he experienced misunderstanding and persecution.  Also like Jeremiah and as model for the rest of us Alphonsus remained true to the Lord.  When we feel wrongly judged, we too should respond with trust that God will redeem us. 

Wednesdy, July 28, 2010

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 15:10;16-21; Matthew 13:44-46)

St. Teresa of Avila, the mystic-reformer of the sixteenth century, once complained to God of the mistreatment she was experiencing. God responded, “This is how I treat my friends, Teresa.” The saint replied, “Well, then, no wonder you have so few!” Teresa echoes Jeremiah’s sentiments in the first reading today.

Jeremiah has faithfully and selflessly served the Lord. He has performed bizarre activities like extracting from the earth a rotten loincloth to impress God’s message on a hard-headed Judah. Yet the only recognition he receives is condemnation. Jeremiah’s protest sounds as if God were compensating his efforts with something akin to water-boarding. He says, “You have become for me a treacherous brook whose waters do not abide!”

At times people will misconstrue our best efforts like Judah misjudges Jeremiah’s. When we do something out of love for others, we will hear people questioning our motives. “What’s in it for her?” they might ask. In these trials we must resist bitterness or plan revenge. We are wise to appropriate for ourselves God’s promise to Jeremiah and dramatically witnessed in Jesus’ resurrection, “...I am with you, to deliver and rescue you.”

Homilette for Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 15:10;16-21)

St. Teresa of Avila, the mystic-reformer of the sixteenth century, once complained to God of the mistreatment she was experiencing. God responded, “This is how I treat my friends, Teresa.” The saint replied, “Well, then, no wonder you have so few!” Teresa echoes Jeremiah’s sentiments in the first reading today.

Jeremiah has faithfully and selflessly served the Lord. He has performed bizarre activities like burying his rotting loincloth so that God’s message might get through to hard-hearted Judah. Yet the only recognition he receives is condemnation. So Jeremiah protests that God compensates him for all his efforts with what sounds like semi-torturous water-boarding. He says, “You have become for me a treacherous brook whose waters do not abide!”

At times people will misconstrue our best efforts like Judah misjudges Jeremiah’s. When we do something out of love for others, we will hear people questioning our motives, “What’s in it for her?” It is critical that at such times we do not become bitter or, if we have turned antagonistic, that we quickly check ourselves. We would be wise to remember the Lord’s promise to Jeremiah, “...I am with you, to deliver and rescue you.”