Thursday, March 16, 2023

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11:14-23)

The Lord sounds exasperated as He pronounces His judgment of the people in today’s reading from Jeremiah. Their faithfulness, he says, has disappeared; they no longer even mention it.  Faithfulness goes beyond faith.  As the word implies, it is fulness of faith. Faithfulness is putting into practice what one believes.

In the gospel the people do not even believe in Jesus.  Despite his cures and exorcisms, they keep seeking further signs.  Jesus does not concede to their demands.  Rather he refutes logically their claim of his diabolicalness.  If he were in league with demons, he says, casting out demons would defeat his purpose.

We have good reason to believe in Jesus.  He not only teaches what is true, died to justify our sins, but also answers our prayers.  Let’s be faithful to him as well by doing all that he commands.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11:14-23)

In today’s first readings Jeremiah accuses the people of Jerusalem of turning their backs on God.  They have not been faithful to the Covenant that they have made with the Lord.  The judgment could hardly be more severe.  According to Jeremiah, they no longer even pretend to be faithful; they do not even say the word.  The situation has not really improved by Jesus’ time.  He sees the same hardness of heart shown toward God’s ways of justice and mercy.  The people seem to refuse to accept Jesus as God’s prophet in order to follow their own preferences.

The same offense may be found in our society although, perhaps, magnified.  Faithfulness to one’s baptismal promises is now considered a betrayal of self.  Of major importance are the values that one chooses to recognize himself.  Forget about one’s culture, family background, even previous choices, one must do what he thinks is necessary to do at the moment. 

Faithfulness is an all-encompassing virtue.  It acknowledges one’s readiness to live in the ways that we have professed.  But we are not only faith to principles; we are also faithful to the people or the person who has imparted those principles.  For us Christians this means faithfulness to the Lord Jesus.  We promise to do as he commands because we know that he will provide our deep and lasting happiness.