Tuesday, July 29, 2014

UNDERSTANDING THE PARABLE

Jer 14:17b-22, Mt 13:36-43
THE QUESTIONING...
The first expresses the plight of the people of God in the face of the great drought. The prophet Jeremiah echoes out their suffering before God in the form of questions: ‘‘Have you rejected Judah altogether? Does your soul loathe Zion? We looked for peace, but no good came...’’ At the end, he acknowledged their wickedness and sinfulness, begging God not to reject them. Jeremiah affirmed their faith in God who sends rain: ‘‘We set our hope in you, for you do all these things.’’
In the Gospel, the apostles, Seeing that Jesus taught the crowds in parables but never explained it to them (Mt 13:34), on entering the room questioned Jesus about the meaning of the parable of the weeds in the field. Jesus did not hesitate to unravel the hidden meaning of the parable to his little ones (cf. Mt 11:25).

UNDERSTANDING THE PARABLE
Sometimes our lives unfold like a parable: the events in the story are familiar but the hidden meaning propelling it is elusive. We seem to be in control of our actions/lives but cannot determine its outcome. At other times, turbulent situations may make us feel isolated, even from God. At such moments, one may begin to question like Jeremiah if God still hears prayers or if one is saying the right prayers. Our hearts yearn for answers; we hunger to understand the deep meaning of the parable of our lives.
It is then that we follow Jesus to the quiet room of our hearts and seek for deeper meaning. We will always find the reason and meaning about our parables once we listen to the Lord. His ready answer reveals God's plan for us.
 

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