Deacon Tom Writes,
“Between a Rock and a Hard Spot!”
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Jeremiah finds himself in a tight spot. He is accused of “demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city.” The princes want to put him to death on the charge of...demoralizing the soldiers and all who remained in Jerusalem. Jeremiah, we know, is guilty as charged! And just what crime is Jeremiah guilty of? He disheartened the inhabitants of the city because he told them the Truth. He spoke the words that God wanted them to hear… that everyone who remained in the city would die. It seems that the false prophets, i.e., the liars, were telling the people that there was no need to worry, that everything would be fine; Jerusalem would be safe because their enemy would break off their siege and withdraw from the city. The false prophets were convincing because… the people wanted to believe them. They wanted to be lied to in order to keep the status quo and life as usual. The people wanted to continue on their evil ways; they wanted to ignore and shun the prophet Jeremiah because he spoke the Truth.
Well, as we read today, those who were unwilling to listen to the truth, i.e., God’s Word, toss Jeremiah into a dry cistern so that he would die. But God comes to his aid and Jeremiah is rescued and continues as God’s messenger to a reluctant people.
Today the Word of God remains unfashionable. We turn our backs on God in order to pay homage to the false prophets of our day who say all the right words that keep us snug and comfortable in the cozy world we have fashioned around us. God’s Word calls us out from our comfort zone so we can find “life in the fullest” just as Jeremiah struggled to encourage the people of his day to be faithful to God’s ways.
God’s Word is always relevant. It speaks to us today as it has to the people throughout the millennia. Who are the liars among us today? How are we to know “the Truth” about anything? The challenge for us is to discern what God is saying and then to live life that way. That’s how we will find true happiness in our troubled and chaotic world and dispense with the false prophets who would lead us astray from all that God has in store for those who love him.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Visit my blog at: www.deacontomwrites.blogspot.com
And tune into the www.deaconspod.com to hear a contemporary Catholic conversation exploring the treasures our faith has to offer.
Recommended Reading: An Ocean of Light by Fr. Martin Laird O.S.A takes us into the world of contemplative prayer in this third book on this subject.
Recommended YouTube video: Click Here or
Go to YouTube and search for: Contemplative Vision: Presentation One, Richard Rohr
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