Friday of the 17th week in ordinary time
Jeremiah 26: 1-9 Mathew 13: 54-58
Theme: A call to repentance
In the 1st reading of today from the prophet Jeremiah, he calls the people to retrace their steps and return to God, lest they incur the wrath of God against themselves. This message came because of the type of lifestyle that the people have embraced and deviated from the ways of God. The message of the prophet Jeremiah angered the priests, the prophets and the people, and they threatened to kill him. The people are angry because they cannot stand the truth about themselves that the prophet Jeremiah have told them. It is interesting how history continues to repeat itself from one generation to the other. The attitude of the people during the time of Jeremiah, is not different from what is happening in our own time. This is because many of us are not willing to face the truth about themselves, so they prefer sycophants around them who will not tell them the truth about themselves but will continue to applaud all they do, including their mistakes. When we are told the truth about ourselves, why not take some time to reflect about it and respond accordingly, instead of fighting the individual who in love told you the truth?
The word of the scripture should continue to strengthen our resolve to remain steadfast and stand for what is always good and right. The people attacking Jeremiah are not doing it because he was not telling the truth, rather they were angry because he is exposing their failure and mistake to them, and they cannot take it. One thing we must be mindful of is that it is only a friend who loves you that will tell you things the way they are, so that you can make amends if need be and become a better person. Unfortunately, many of us do not have the humility to accept what is presented to us, so we end up fighting the person who have come to tell us the truth about ourselves, just like the prophet Jeremiah in todays 1st reading.
In the gospel reading of today, Jesus visits his own people, but he could not do much because his people had no faith in him. They knew him and his family, so they could not accept the message that he brought to them. This is one of the mistakes that we make sometimes. The fact that you know an individual and his family, should not stop you from accepting the fact that God can use him as an instrument to carry out his mission among his people. Always remember that the way of God is different from our human ways, and he use whoever he like. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.