Modern-Day Prophets
“And
not listening to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send you
constantly though you do not obey them.” – Jeremiah 26:5
Terry
prioritized gimmicks, girls and “good time” instead of books and
assignments. His friend, Andy, admonished him to take his studies
seriously. Terry just laughed and even ridiculed his friend and called
him a killjoy. Eventually, Terry dropped out of college because of poor
grades. He should have listened to Andy.
Marie’s
mother constantly reminded her not to get into a relationship yet
because she wasn’t ready. She insisted that she was mature enough and
carried on with her affair. She ended getting pregnant out of wedlock.
She quit school. A few years later, she separated from her husband.
We
all have people around us who tell us what we don’t like to hear. God
uses them for our own good. Their words may ring badly in our ears but
most often, they are what we really need. Whether it’s a priest’s
homily, a reflection we’ve read, a parent’s advice or a friend’s
warning, we need to heed the truth in what they speak. Most often, the
right thing to do is uncomfortable or would hurt us, but it’s necessary.
Pay attention to the people God sends to you. Listen and obey. Jun Asis (mabuting.balita@gmail.com)
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REFLECTION:
Who are the people whom God sends to me? What are they saying?
Lord, may I discern and follow the message You give through the people I meet. Amen.
St. Peter Julian Eymard, pray for us.
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1ST READING
The
Temple is destroyed according to the prophecy of Jeremiah. It is
amazing how we keep repeating the same mistakes of our forefathers. We
tend to forget all that happened in the past at that moment. The
Scriptures are full of God calling His people to repentance but they
rarely listen to the call. It comes again and again. Come to think of
it, the same is true in the Church today.
Jeremiah 26:1-9
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, this message came from the Lord: 2 Thus
says the Lord: Stand in the court of the house of the Lord and speak to
the people of all the cities of Judah who come to worship in the house
of the Lord; whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing. 3 Perhaps
they will listen and turn back, each from his evil way, so that I may
repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them for their evil
deeds. 4 Say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you disobey me, not living according to the law I placed before you 5 and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them, 6 I
will treat this house like Shiloh, and make this the city which all
the nations of the earth shall refer to when cursing another. 7 Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. 8 When
Jeremiah finished speaking all that the Lord bade him speak to all the
people, the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying, “You must be
put to death! 9 Why
do you prophesy in the name of the Lord: ‘This house shall be like
Shiloh,’ and ‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?” And all the
people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
P S A L M
Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14
R: Lord, in your great love, answer me.
4 [5] Those
outnumber the hairs of my head who hate me without cause. Too many for
my strength are they who wrongfully are my enemies. Must I restore what I
did not steal? (R) 7 [8] Since for your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face. 8 [9] I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother’s sons, 9 [10] because zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me. (R) 13 [14] But I pray to you, O Lord, for the time of your favor, O God! In your great kindness answer me with your constant help. (R)
GOSPEL
It
was difficult for Jesus to work in the provincial area where He grew
up. This is because people knew Him as a kid and could not accept that
He was anything other than the ”kid they grew up with.“ The same still
holds true today – and sometimes it seems that our families are the
hardest to evangelize. Perhaps the only real response here is to live
the Gospel as best we can and hope that by the witness of our life we
will cause those who know us to reflect upon their own response to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
The word of the Lord remains forever; this is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
Matthew 13:54-58
54 Jesus
came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They
were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and
mighty deeds? 55 Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” 57 And
they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not
without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” 58 And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
1st READING 2nd READING
think: Let
us live the Gospel as best we can and hope that by the witness of our
lives we will cause those who know us to reflect upon their own response
to God.2n
d
LISTENING AND OBEYING
It
does not make too much sense in English, but in Latin, the two words
“listening” and “obeying” have very much in common. The root word of
obedience is “audire” (ob-audire), which really means to listen. For one to obey, one first has to listen, and not the other way around.
Jose
Rizal’s famous story about a young moth, who refused to heed the advice
of mother moth to never get too close to the burning candle,
illustrates clearly this close connection between listening and obeying.
The little moth “wouldn’t hear any of it,” as native English speakers
would say. In other words, it disobeyed its mother’s well-meaning
warnings and pleadings. True to its mother’s worst fears, the young moth
got too close to the fire and got singed. Disobedience was the cause of
the young moth’s undoing.
The
story strikes close to our own personal experience. I remember my
grandmother decades ago who never tired of repeating the same lines over
and over again. In so many different ways, what she told us kids then
all boiled down to one and only one thing: heed the teachings and
reminders of elders.
The
Lord today, speaking through Jeremiah, does as much. He reminds us
basically to “listen to the words of my servants the prophets.” But like
the hapless moth, we tend not to “hear any of it,” and “not obey the
prophets.”
Rizal’s
famous allegory does have a lesson to teach us. But God’s Word does
more than teach. It convicts, even if it means giving us a little
warning of the consequences if we don’t heed it. But there, too, is a
high price to pay for heeding the warnings. Obedience for the moth meant
not getting close enough, and not enjoying the warm glow of the burning
candle. Obedience for Jeremiah translated into a lot of scorn heaped on
him by the very people he was trying to help. Doing as God would have
us do leads us into a possible life of undeserved pain, even as it
brings us indescribable joy and fulfillment. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you have experiences of disobedience? What were the consequences?
Grant me an obedient heart, Lord, that I may be able to listen to You and fulfill Your will for me.
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