Celebración de la palabra

Thursday July 23

Thursday of 16th Week in Ordinary Time

HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS

Introduction

Jeremiah reminds God’s people that in their youth, after God had made a covenant with them, they had been faithful and fervent. But since then they have abandoned God, even the priests and the prophets had done so.
Jesus complains that there are some who close their hearts to his message of life. His message is simple. Much of it is told in the moving stories of the parables. Why don’t people understand them? They are fickle and busy with themselves and their own little affairs. Or they think they are too learned and too self-sufficient, above the little ones, the humble, the simple people; these are eager to be receptive of the word of God and to pay attention to it.

Opening Prayer

God, you care for us.
your Son Jesus told us this in wonderful stories
about your forgiveness, your love, and your patient mercy.
Do not allow us to be so fickle or indifferent
that we close our eyes and ears to them,
but make us see and hear with our hearts
that these simple stories are speaking
of the very meaning of our lives.
Count us among the simple people
who understand what you are telling us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading 1 JER 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

This word of the LORD came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!

I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.

When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
"Where is the LORD?"
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.

Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.

Responsorial Psalm

R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

Alleluia MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 13:10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?"
He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to 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."

Commentary

A person is naturally grieved when a beloved decides to terminate a relationship, but the pain is even greater when that partner leaves for another person. Such was the case with the fickle Israel. Jeremiah today speaks of their earlier relationship in idyllic tenns; she was like a bride, following him in the desert, the first fruits of the harvest, led by him into the garden land. But what has transpired? The priests do not seek him, the shepherds have rebelled, the prophets prophesy by Baal. Promise has turned to tragedy.
Jesus’ hearers, children of Israel, make no attempt to understand his message. His parables, which are intended to illustrate the truth, become obstacles to understanding. It is one thing never to have known the true God, but it is sadder indeed to have known him and rejected him.
The prayer for final perseverance is a worthy one indeed. Our hearts can become cold; we may become beguiled by other attractions or even tempted to despair. But alertness is always a good medicine. Sursum corda says the Latin. “Lift up your hearts!” We may waver, but he is forever faithful.

Points to Ponder

Cherishing the faith
Abandoning the truth
Praying for perseverance

Intercessions

– For those who are not moved by the word of God, that the Church may hear their silent yearning and speak the word in such a way that makes them see that it pertains to their life and happiness today, we pray:
– For those who remain deaf to the word of God, that they may be moved when they see it flowering and bearing fruit in the life of good Christians, we pray:
– For the sick, the lonely, those who suffer or mourn, that the word of God may bring them consolation, give them the courage to bear their pain and to keep hoping in a loving God, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
we are ready to listen to the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven.
We bring before you
these simple offerings of bread and wine.
Let them express that we want
to be open to these secrets with unsophisticated hearts,
for you reveal yourself
to those who listen with their hearts.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
make us attentive to the words
Jesus has spoken to us at his table
and keep stirring in us the love he has shown us.
Let our faith be more
than formulas that do not change life.
Make the story of our life speak to those around us
that we have understood how much you care
and respond to you with all that is in us,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

“Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear.” Listen to the Lord with your hearts, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.