Wednesday – Sixteenth Week – OT2

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Wednesday – Sixteenth Week – OT2

Readings: Jer 1:1, 4-10; Mt 13:1-9.

 

1/ Reading I: RSV Jeremiah 1:1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, `I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

 

2/ Gospel: RSV Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears let him hear.”

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I. THEME: God’s words and the prophetic mission 

            When one thinks about the potency of a seed, he shall be startled greatly about its potency; for example, a seed of wheat in good condition. When it germinates, grows and becomes a tree, it can give hundred other seeds; and from this hundred seeds shall come hundred thousand other seeds, It can be multiple to infinity. Who is the one that gives a seed such infinitive potency? The faithful believe it is God who creates and gives seeds into human hands so that they might have food to eat all the days of their life. We can have a similar thinking for the spiritual seed, God’s word, in the spiritual realm.

            Today readings and the readings of the next two days emphasize on the seed of God’s word, the sower’s generosity and the hearers’ duty of preparation so that God’s word can bear fruits for people. In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah reported his prophetic calling. He wanted to stress that it is God who chose, sanctified and sent him out to announce His word. In the Gospel, Jesus began his preaching in parables, starting with the Parable of the Sower, to emphasize on the importance of the potency and the power of God’s words.

 

II. ANALYSIS:

 

1/ Reading I: “For to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

 

1.1/ God chose Jeremiah to become His prophet: God chooses His prophets to bring His words to His people; without prophets, God’s words can’t reach people. The prophetic mission is given by God to those He calls, not for everyone. God reveals to Jeremiah that He selected him to be His prophet even before he was formed in his mother’s womb, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

            According to tradition, a prophet is the one who speaks what God wants to say; he is God’s mouthpiece. To foretell what shall happen in the future is only supplement, not the main function of a prophet. In order to say what God wants, a prophet must be taught by God. Many prophets (Moses, Isaiah, Amos) thought they can’t be God’s prophets because they are too young, sinners or don’t know how to speak in front of people. When Jeremiah mentioned his lacking of ability to speak, God confirmed and advised him, “Do not say, `I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.”

            The prophet’s duty is to announce God’s truth. Under no circumstance that he can speak lies. Therefore, he can’t fear anyone except God. If he doesn’t fulfill his duty, he shall have to answer God’s wrath. The prophet Jonah is an example of the one who refused to do what God commanded.

 

1.2/ The prophet’s words are God’s words which have power to build up and to destroy: Then, the Lord put forth His hand, touched Jeremiah’s mouth and the said to him, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

            – The Lord sanctified His prophets with His words: Prophets are also people and prone to sins; therefore they must be purified first before they can bring God’s words for people. God also uses His words to purify His prophets. In the Gospel, Jesus even said this to his audience, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice” (Mt 23:2-3). God’s words can benefit people regardless of the prophet’s condition; however, it helps when a prophet practices what he preaches.

            – God’s words have power to do many things for people: They can help people to do an examination of their conscience to recognize all their sins. They can also help them to make correction of their bad habits. They can serve as the principles in making wise decision. St. Paul recognized the manifold benefits of God’s words when he charged Timothy, his disciple: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching” (2 Tim 4:1-2).

            – According to the ANE tradition and even our world, the sent is the sender’s representative; therefore, whoever welcomes him, welcomes the sender; and whoever rejects him, rejects the sender. His message is no longer his but the sender’s message. Therefore, when a prophet delivers a message in God’s name, it is no longer his message but God’s words. Jesus said to his disciples, “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward” (Mt 10:40-41).

            – The power of God’s words is clearly said in God’s words to Jeremiah. What the prophet foretold shall be achieved because they are God’s words. For example, Jeremiah foretold that Jerusalem Temple shall be destroyed, the Judah king, his officers and the majority of people shall be on exile; but God shall bring a surviving remnant to come back and to rebuild the Temple, etc. All these were happened as the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah recorded.

 

2/ Gospel: The importance of God’s words in the Parable of the Sower

 

2.1/ Jesus preached in parables: Today passage begins the third part of Jesus’ five sermons which St. Matthew structured his Gospel like the Pentateuch of the Old Testament. This part is also called “Jesus’ preaching in parables.”

            The regions of Galilee, especially Jezreel, Bashan and Gilead, are very proper for growing wheat because the land is fertile. The people who live in this area are either fishermen or farmers. They are very familiar with sowing so they could literally understand what Jesus wants to convey.

 

2.2/ Jesus’ intention: Through this parable, Jesus wants to stress on the potency of God’s word and human soul where the seed of God’s word is sowed into.

 

            (1) The generosity of the sower: When the sower goes out to sow, he knows that not all the seeds have the opportunity to develop to their maximum potency; but only the seeds that are falling into the well prepared land, fertile and having water. But he wants all people to have chances; they might not be able to bear fruits the first time but he hopes that they can bear fruits later.

            The seeds falling on the sidewalk have no opportunity to grow because birds of heaven shall eat them up. The seeds falling on the stony ground also have no opportunity to bear fruit, even they can grow a little; but they can’t endure scorching heat from the sun because their root aren’t deep. The ones falling on thorny bush also can’t bear fruit because the thorns suffocate them. The seeds falling on the fertile land also give different results; some seeds can give one hundred, others sixty or thirty.

            (2) The efforts needed from the hearers:  Similarly for the seed of God’s word. Jesus or the prophets are the sowers who preach God’s word to all people. Though God’s word has unlimited power such as: to guide the lost, to correct the wrong, to purify people’s sins, to help people to live a virtuous life and to help them to be perfect; but God’s word can’t achieve these effects in those who are stubborn, the ignorant, the indifferent and those who are slaves for worldly allurements to the point that they have no time for studying God’s word.

 

III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:                     

            – God’s word is the truth that guides us on the right path. We must have time to listen, to meditate and to put it into practice.

            – In order for God’s word to be effective, we must prepare our soul to be a good land for the seed of God’s word to fall in. A careless or indifferent attitude shall not help God’s word to bear good fruit for our life.

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