Jer. 2:1-3,7-8,12-13, Ps. 36:6-11, Matthew 13:10-17
“To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given.” (Matthew 13:11)
The ability to understand God’s word is a gift. Jesus said to the twelve: “To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given…. blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
In other words, there are many who read the bible but are not able to perceive the secrets it contains. I recall one of my teachers back then in the Seminary who taught us Scriptures. She told us that the Bible should always be read kneeling. The meaning of this is that we should never read the Bible just like any other piece of literature. We must first ask God to open our hearts before we begin to flip through the pages of the Bible. That way, the meaning becomes clear to us. We see things that others cannot see and we hear things that others will never hear.
A divine revelation of God came to Jeremiah in our first reading today, to preach to the people in a way they had not heard before. Jeremiah’s words were a total reproach to the entire nation of Israel. He seemed to capture every one of their sins. From the least person up to the leaders, the priests, those in the custody of the law, and the rulers, Jeremiah fearlessly delivered the word, telling them how they have all abandoned God, the fountain of living waters, and have tried to create cisterns for themselves; broken cisterns for that manner.
There were so many holy people at the time of Jeremiah. The scripture did not change. It was studied every day by the lawyers and the Scribes at the temple. It was the same scripture that the priests were using but it took Jeremiah to tell Israel as a nation that they were going out of track. The Bible is like a picture, so many persons are looking at it but only very few see it.
Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, give us eyes that see and ears that hear so that our study of your word may bear the right fruits in our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of week 16 in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Jer. 2:1-3,7-8,12-13, Ps. 36:6-11, Matthew 13:10-17).
© Rev. Fr. Evaristus Abu