THE CISTERN OF HIDDEN TREASURE

   Reflection for Thursday of the 16^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Jer 2:1-3, 7-8,12-13; Mt 13:10-17)

Another prophet has taken over the stage! From today till the end of this month, we shall be hearing from Jeremiah. I describe him as ‘a prophet par excellence.’ His message is intermingled with his life. If you pay attention to him, you cannot but fall in love with Jeremiah. He grew up during the reign of King Josiah, when Judah was at peace. But he saw the bad times coming, and warned the people, but they rejected him. He lived through the Babylonian exile and Assyrian invasion. He was exiled in Egypt and died there. Announcing destruction at a time the people thought they were enjoying peace, brought fierce opposition and sorrow to Jeremiah. He is popularly described as the suffering servant of God.

In today’s readings, Jeremiah began to remind the people the devotion of their fathers, and how they loved God and followed Him in the desert. Then, “Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of His harvest.” All who hurt her was punished. God settled them in the Promised Land. But now they have defiled the land. The priests, the lawyers, the rulers, and prophets have all transgressed. They were pursuing vanity! Jeremiah announced the two evils the people committed against God: “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

It was stubbornness of heart for Israel to knowingly turned her back on the sure source of life God gave them in the law and prophets, and instituted idols that cannot help them, and had never helped any nation. Jeremiah would continue to speak to them but their stubbornness of heart would not let them hear, instead they would persecute him. Thus, Jesus says to those who block their hearts from hearing of God’s word, God too will hide His mysteries from them! To the stubbornness of heart, the message of God will come to them in parables, such that they will have to raise their hearts and minds to understand it. Therefore, the 'parables' will help draw their heart from their self-inflicted stubbornness, and launch them into the realm of God’s mysteries. One gets humbled as he climbs through the parables to the hidden mysteries.

So the disciples, and those who have these mysteries revealed to them, are the humble and blessed. We hear and see what many prophets and righteous men longed to see and hear but did not see them nor hear them. The knowledge of God and the gracious moments we share in Him should be guided jealously, for it is a hidden treasure. Israel, carelessly threw away their good times with God, and ended up with empty cisterns that cannot hold water. As we open up our hearts to Jesus today, He assures us of an increase in His blessings, “For to him who has, will more be given.”

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday July 23^rd, 2020.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com