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Readings for August 28, 2011
Living the Word, August 28th, 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 7-9
Psalm 63
Romans 12: 1-2
Matthew 16: 21-27
Today's readings begin shockingly: "You duped me, O LORD."
Jeremiah, perhaps more than any other prophet, reveals the painful emotions, frustrations and anguish of being one. Ironically, he also powerfully reveals to us the pathos and loving heart of Yahweh.
Jeremiah's call as a youth, even though he attempts to beg off this responsibility, turns into one of the most moving passages in Scripture (found in the early part of the book of Jeremiah). In today's passage Jeremiah, now an adult, intimately speaks to the LORD decrying the derision, reproach, and even persecution by his family which he suffers for speaking God's Word to God's special people. Yahweh's message is always, "Do justice." The people refuse to listen. After bitterly complaining about his role, and attempting to abandon it, that word "becomes like fire burning in my heart," and Jeremiah remains faithful to his dire role for 40 years. After decades of Jeremiah's warnings to "Do justice," and trust only God, not alliances with neighboring political powers, the Israelites refuse "obedience" (in Hebrew, "to listen and do it") to Yahweh, and in 587 BC, they lose their king, their nation, their land, everything except their God, and are exiled into captivity by the Babylonians (modern Iraq). Jeremiah disappears from the pages of history (we don't know where he ended up), but his poignant prayer, prophecy and fidelity live on through thousands of generations.
After this "wasteland-sounding" passage, the Psalm is wonderful relief (can be a sung mantra for the coming week): "My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God."
In the next Word, Paul urges us to "not conform ourselves to this age." Deacon Roger spoke cogently in his Living the Word article two weeks ago about not letting the selfishness and greed of our "me generation" society stop us from living our faith: working hard to include everyone at the table of the kingdom of God.
Jesus' Word to us today is stark. He tells his disciples that he will "suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes." .... "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Who wants to do that? Not Peter, not us. Where in American society do we hear that? But, if we want to follow Jesus, we must take up our crosses: a terminal illness, heartbreak, the loss of a child, parent, job, home - everyone can fill in the blank ____________, and offer that suffering at Mass in union with Jesus for the sake of others. Not only take up our crosses, but "lose our life for his sake": give our time and sweat to helping others belong at the table of the kingdom. Our Catholic identity is counter-cultural: not consumed with "grabbing more for me," but bound up with working for the common good: everyone making sacrifices so that all can have justice, peace, an affordable home, food for their children, gainful work, decent education. Recent IRS statistics show that the few very wealthy people in America have gotten five times wealthier since the 2008 recession, while millions and millions have lost their jobs and homes. Where are the heroes of our past who, when they made enough money, ploughed the rest back into creating more jobs, more opportunity for others at the same table? They "who lost their lives found it." That is our challenge as Catholics today.
Mary Sluka is a guide for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and on the Adult Formation and Religious Education boards at Ascension.
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