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From: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21

Jeremiah’s second “confession”

[10] Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention
to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.

[16] Thy words were found, and I ate them,
and thy words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart;
for I am called by thy name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
[17] I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone, because thy hand was upon me,
for thou hadst filled me with indignation.
[18] Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Wilt thou be to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail?

[19] Therefore thus says the Lord:
“If you return, I will restore you,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless.
you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
but you shall not turn to them.
[20] And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you, says the Lord.
[21] will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”

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Commentary:

15:10-21. Jeremiah again opens his heart to the Lord. The mission God gave
him has not proved easy. In vv. 10-11 he seems to share his thoughts with his
mother, with himself and with God, and in vv. 15-21 he makes a prayerful com-
plaint to God, who spells out what course he should take and offers hope of de-
liverance. Verses 12-14, which break the thread of the passage and are to be
found again in 17:3-4, seem to stress the solidarity that exists between Jere-
miah and the people.

Despite the fact that Jeremiah has sought only to serve the Lord and intercede
with him even on behalf of enemies, wishing no one evil, he has been rejected
and cursed and has become a source of discord. He tells the Lord how pained
he feels (vv. 10-11) and he goes on to recall times when he felt very happy in his
relations with God (v. 16), and other times when he felt desolate because every-
one rejected him (vv. 17-18). As in the first “confession” (11:18-12:6), the Lord’s
reply seems harsh, calling him to personal conversion (v. 19a). Because Jere-
miah must preach conversion to others, he must begin with himself, by being
true to the mission entrusted to him; he must shed any feelings of pessimism.
Once he is cleansed, he will be well able to speak the word of the Lord and the
people will heed him (vv. 19b-21).

Jeremiah’s trusting dialogue with the Lord, and the reply he is given (v. 19), are
a personal call to the reader of this passage: “This is meant for everyone, for
God is always calling on us to return to him” (Origen, Homiliae in Jeremiam,
14, 18).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 13:44-46

The Hidden Treasure; The Pearl

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [44] “The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hid-
den in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and
sells all that he has and buys that field.

[45] “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
[46] who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and
bought it.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

44-46. In these two parables Jesus shows the supreme value of the Kingdom of
Heaven, and the attitude people need if they are to attain it. The parables are very
alike, but it is interesting to note the differences: the treasure means abundance
of gifts; the pearl indicates the beauty of the Kingdom. The treasure is something
stumbled upon; the pearl, the result of a lengthy search; but in both instances
the finder is filled with joy. Faith, vocation, true wisdom, desire for Heaven, are
things which sometimes are discovered suddenly and unexpectedly, and some-
times after much searching (cf. St. Gregory the Great, “In Evangelia Homilae”,
11). However, the man’s attitude is the same in both parables and is described
in the same terms: “he goes and sells all that he has and buys it”: detachment,
generosity, is indispensable for obtaining the treasure.

“Anyone who understands the Kingdom which Christ proposes realizes that it is
worth staking everything to obtain it [...]. The Kingdom of Heaven is difficult to win.
No one can be sure of achieving it, but the humble cry of a repentant man can
open wide its doors” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 180).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Jeremiah 15:10,16-21 ©

‘Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me

to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land.

I neither lend nor borrow,

yet all of them curse me.

‘When your words came, I devoured them:

your word was my delight

and the joy of my heart;

for I was called by your name,

the Lord, God of Hosts.

I never took pleasure in sitting in scoffers’ company;

with your hand on me I held myself aloof,

since you had filled me with indignation.

Why is my suffering continual,

my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream

with inconstant waters?’

To which the Lord replied,

‘If you come back,

I will take you back into my service;

and if you utter noble, not despicable, thoughts,

you shall be as my own mouth.

They will come back to you,

but you must not go back to them.

I will make you

a bronze wall fortified against this people.

They will fight against you

but they will not overcome you,

because I am with you

to save you and to deliver you

– it is the Lord who speaks.

I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked

and redeem you from the clutches of the violent.’

Psalm

Psalm 58:2-5,10-11,17-18 ©