Readings for Sunday, January 31st, 2010

1st Reading - Jeremiah, 1:4-5, 17-19
Jeremiah’s book (his work) is divided in 5 parts:
1) The call to Jeremiah;
2) Messages of God to the nation of Judah, and to its rulers during the time of Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, & Zedekiah;
3) Material from the memoirs of Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary, including various prophecies and important events from the life of Jeremiah;
4) Messages from the Lord about various foreign nations;
5) A historical appendix, giving an account of the fall of Jerusalem, and the exile to Babylonia.

Half of Sunday’s reading is an excerpt of the very first chapter of Jeremiah’s written work. It is about God’s call to Jeremiah, to become a prophet and to become a worker, a warrior of God.
Jeremiah, who received this first call at a very early age, was reluctant to take on the job (of being a prophet). He feared that his young age coupled with his limited vocabulary would prevent him from doing a good job on behalf of God. But God Himself speaks to Jeremiah, and like a good father, He reassures Jeremiah that everything about to take place is being done on behalf of God, the Almighty, and therefore, it will all be ok.
At the time of Jeremiah, just like present times, becoming a prophet was not a simple thing. Putting on the shoes of one who speaks on behalf of God, the One and Only, is a very cumbersome task.
First of all, everyone will look at you as if you are completely and utterly out of your mind. What makes you think that you are so good and so special that you can speak on behalf of God? Second, if at all you are just a tiny bit credible on your delivery to the people, would you have the fortitude to stay within God’s path, over and over, repeating His prophecies to new groups, who in turn would question how sound you are and what real motives are pushing you to do what you are doing?

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2nd Reading: 1 Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, 12:31-13:13.
Speaking about God is speaking about love; therefore, speaking about love, is speaking about God, the Almighty. All things on Earth, living or inanimate, are guided by love: even sand in the desert is about love, because sand in the desert is part of God’s creation.
This Sunday’s 2nd reading is one of the greatest poetic and rhetorical creations of all times. Paul’s heart is on fire! His words come out with strength and conviction, wrapping themselves around those who read them and those who hear them.
Without love we are nothing! Without love we mean nothing! Can the concept be stressed any further? It does not matter how much richness we have, or how much power we can command, or how healthy our bodies are… because even with all of these factors on our side, without love they mean nothing!
On our daily lives we go to work, or stay at home and work from there; we eat, we sleep, we perform different activities… at the end of our day, we look for the welcoming touch, for the smile and the company of those who we love... and those who love us back.
All the problems, conflicts, and difficulties encountered throughout the day, reduce their size and their negative impact, after a loved one listens to us in a loving way. Obstacles that at one point appear to be insurmountable, suddenly become little... once we feel the support of someone who lovingly holds our hand and reassures us that things will get better.
So without much pomp and circumstance, love makes all bad things bearable; and makes all good ones, even better. Let us accept this fact, let us embrace it, with love; especially with God’s love, because with Him and His love on our side, our earthly lives become an exciting adventure that ultimately will lead us to paradise in the eternal company of God our Father.

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The Gospel according to Luke 4:21-30

Sunday's Gospel brings us to the day when a mature Jesus addresses the people at the synagogue and tells them "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
At first, all the ones present at the synagogue are in awe of this wise and discerning new version of the kid next door. They look at him and remember that this is the same boy, son of the carpenter Joseph, the one that they have seen growing up amidst their streets... And yet he sounds like an erudite; it almost seems as if He is a prophet.
Jesus, predicting what is about to happen within their hearts, reminds them "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place." And despite these insightful words, the people become furious and chase Jesus out of the synagogue, out of town, and to the brow of the hill, to where they plan to throw him down, headfirst. Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, passes through the midst of them, and walks away.

It is hard to hear the truth, especially when it comes from people younger than us. As humans we tend to corelate wisdom with old age, and we find it difficult to accept that it is possible for youthful people to also be wise. Was this Jesus' case? Was he too young to be so wise? Or was the truth too much for the people? Was there more to it?

Everything that happened to Jesus during His life was part of God's plan to save us from our sins. The calvary did not begin three days before Jesus' death, but it began in Nazareth, when the very neighbors of Jesus gave Him a taste of the road that was ahead of Him. Jesus did not waiver in His commitment to follow through, because He knew that ultimately, His sacrifice would mean the salvation of humankind. And so, instead of confronting the folks that threw Him away from town, Jesus chose to move on and bring the word of God to others who were open to listening about the Good News.

Indeed, at the time when these events happened, seeing Jesus walk away did not mean much to those who were present. And yet, as we read the Scriptures today, we can learn from Jesus' reaction and make an example of it. Let us not be quick to anger, let us avoid judging people. Rather walk away and give them time and space, so they are able to reconsider their actions, and maybe even reevaluation and correction can occur. Let us keep present the fact that prophets live among us; they are not always far away and looking old. The boy next door can be God in disguise, just like the man outside the store who is asking for a penny can be Jesus asking for our help. Above all, let us never forget that God's love for us is like a fountain filled with the type of water that can quench, not only our body's thirst, but also our spiritual thirst.

God's love for us is eternal.