Friday, July 24, 2020

THE HIDDEN WISDOM


Reflection for Friday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A
(Jer 3:14-17; Mt 13:18-23)
“Return, O faithless children, says the Lord; for I am your master...and I will bring you to Sion.” As Jeremiah called the people back to God, he explained to them the blessings they would enjoy if they turned back and followed the Lord. They Lord will give them a shepherd after His own heart, who will feed them with knowledge and understanding. In other words, a Shepherd who will open their eyes to insight and mystery! They shall increase and multiply. When that day comes, the Ark of the Covenant will not be needed anymore. Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord.

Imagine such a gathering of God’s faithful! This prophecy of Jeremiah looks into the future of Christ Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd, who opens the mind of those who come to Him in faith, and fill them with wisdom and understanding. He becomes our new Covenant through which a new Jerusalem dawns, where all peoples shall gather in the presence of God. Meditating on the Gospel of today, we see the disciples gathered around Jesus in a room as He opens their minds and hearts to the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, hidden in the parable of the sower.

As a Good Shepherd, Jesus leads them to understand how an ordinary human activity like sowing seeds in a farm can communicate a divine reality. This is hidden wisdom! It might appear simple and easy, but it is only when we ‘gather around Jesus’ that we can gain such knowledge. That is, we need Jesus to understand how the realities of our lives carry ‘Divine data.’ In other words, when we ‘return to the Lord’ as Jeremiah said, and ‘gather our lives around Him’, we will begin to see how almost every aspect of our lives, such as relationship, family, sickness and health, wealth and career, etc, have meaning for the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes our lives unfold like a ‘parable’ but in Jesus we find the meaning of it all.

If we execute our activities this day with the wisdom and understanding that Jesus gives, then we shall be like the seeds that were sown on the good soil, “This is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” May it be so for you today through Christ our Lord, Amen!

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday July 24th, 2020.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

For other reflections on the parable of the sower in recent past, click below:





3 comments:

  1. Amen,thanks Padre,O'Lord fill my heart with wisdom and understanding for i have come to u in faith.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amen! Thank you for the daily reflections

    ReplyDelete