Reflection for Monday
of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A
(Jer 28:1-17; Mt
14:22-36)
It was dramatic for Prophet Jeremiah
as he battled with the fake prophet, Hananiah. Against Jeremiah’s warnings,
Hananiah told the people what they wanted to hear: that God had broken the yoke
of the King of Babylon, and all the exiles and vessels would be restored. He
was very outspoken and aggressive in his approach, tearing the symbolic wooden
yoke Jeremiah wore on his neck. Often times,
lying lips are the loudest and overpowering but they do not last (Pr 12:19).
They come like a raging storm to sink whoever is not already standing firm on
truth. Hananiah’s message was ‘convenient’, soothing the people’s lifestyle.
God will destroy every lying tongue
(Ps 12:3). The Lord announced severe punishment for Hananiah. “Go, tell
Hananiah...You have broken wooden bars, but I will make in their place bars of
iron.” For deceiving the people, this fake prophet was cut off from the face of
the earth. Sugar-coated words that appeal to our human convenience usually
attract easy followers. When a child of God begins to follow the same ideologies
with unrighteous people, he should be careful because falsehood is not far from
him. Truth is of God; when we abide in truth, we enjoy God’s presence and long
for Him. Be careful of persons, lifestyles, actions, transactions, etc that
pull you away from God; they make you ‘foreign’ to God and wound your prayer
life. If it happens, know that lies are knocking.
As we said earlier, most times we
are deceived because we had already lied to ourselves. Through faith in Jesus
Christ, we are walking on the ‘turbulent waters of this world.’ We love in the midst of
hate; we still trust though living among deceivers. We live and move in an
insecure society; we make huge investments in an economically barren society. The
storm is raging! Fake prophets, loud and domineering, are fuelling our stagnant
and staggering faith-life with ‘prophecies’ that only make us shout, AMEN! But
the messages do not challenge us to repent and draw closer to God, while some
other 'prophecies' have no reference to our well-being or our salvation.
So, we constantly cry out in the
words of Peter, “Lord, save me.” This prayer must be the disposition of our heart,
a ‘mantra’ with which the heart breads. In this way, Jesus, who is the Truth,
will sustain us and save us from sinking into the ocean of lies. As you go about
your activities this Month, may Jesus hold you firm on the truth, and save you from
deceivers. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedei-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday August 3rd, 2020.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
