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:
