Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Harden Not Your Hearts
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Jeremiah reminds God’s people that in their youth, after God had made a covenant with them, they had been faithful and fervent. But since then, they have abandoned God; even the priests and the prophets had done so.
Gospel. Jesus complains that some close their hearts to his message of life. His message is simple. Much of it is told in the moving stories of the parables. Why don’t people understand them? They are fickle and busy with themselves and their own little affairs. Or they think they are too learned and too self-sufficient, above the little ones, the humble, the simple people; these are eager to be receptive to the word of God and to pay attention to it.
Opening Prayer
God, you care for us.
Your Son Jesus told us this in wonderful stories
about your forgiveness, your love, and your patient mercy.
Do not allow us to be so fickle or indifferent
that we close our eyes and ears to them,
but make us see and hear with our hearts
that these simple stories are speaking
of the very meaning of our lives.
Count us among the simple people
who understand what you are telling us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
First Reading
GOD PLEADS WITH ISRAEL TO REPENT
I Am Returning To Confront You
The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
“Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem. This is the Lord’s word: I remember your kindness as a youth, the love of your bridal days, when you followed me in the wilderness, through a land not sown.
Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it had to pay and misfortune fell on them— it is the Lord who speaks.
I brought you to a fertile land to eat of the choicest fruit. As soon as you came, you defiled my land and dishonored my heritage!
The priests did not ask: ‘Where is the Lord?’ The masters of my teaching did not know me; the pastors of my people betrayed me; the prophets followed worthless idols and spoke in the name of Baal.
Be aghast at that, O heavens! Shudder, be utterly appalled— it is the Lord who speaks—
for my people have done two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, to dig for themselves leaking cisterns that hold no water!
Responsorial Psalm
R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Then his disciples came to him and asked:
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
Jesus answered, “To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people.
For those who have, more will be given, and they will have abundance. But those who do not have will lose even what they do have.
That is why I speak to them in parables; because they look but do not see, hear but do not listen or understand.
Within them, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled:
Despite hearing,
you do not understand;
you shall indeed look but never see.
For the heart of this people
has grown dull.
Their ears hardly hear,
and their eyes dare not see.
If they were to see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
they would turn back,
and I would heal them.
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
For I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have longed to see the things you see, but they did not see them; and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For those who are not moved by the word of God, that the Church may hear their silent yearning and speak the word in such a way that makes them see that it pertains to their life and happiness today, we pray:
– For those who remain deaf to the word of God, that they may be moved when they see it flowering and bearing fruit in the life of good Christians, we pray:
– For the sick, the lonely, those who suffer or mourn, that the word of God may bring them consolation, give them the courage to bear their pain and to keep hoping in a loving God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we are ready to listen to the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven.
We bring before you
these simple offerings of bread and wine.
Let them express that we want
to be open to these secrets with unsophisticated hearts,
for you reveal yourself
to those who listen with their hearts.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
make us attentive to the words
Jesus has spoken to us at his table
and keep stirring in us the love he has shown us.
Let our faith be more
than formulas that do not change life.
Make the story of our life speak to those around us
that we have understood how much you care
and respond to you with all that is in us,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
“Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear.” Listen to the Lord with your hearts, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 13:10-17
Our faith and understanding are gifts of the Holy Spirit that enable us to hear God's word and love him and his people better. Jesus just told the Parable of the Sower, describing the different kinds of ground on which seeds fall. The roots of some sprouts grow quickly and wither away, but the roots of others are deep, and they grow and flourish in the end. Taking root in the Gospel can take time.
The prophet Isaiah predicted that some would hear God's word but not believe, and some would see God's actions but remain unconvinced. Jesus would express the same concern with his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables. Jesus' words were not hard to understand intellectually, but their hearts were closed to what he said. The secrets of God's kingdom can only be revealed to the humble and trusting individual who acknowledges the need for God and for his truth.
Ironically, some of Jesus' greatest sceptics were learned scribes and Pharisees who boasted of their knowledge of the Scriptures, especially the Torah. Despite hearing Jesus' parables and seeing his great signs and miracles, they did not accept him or his message. Is it possible that this carpenter's son would know more about God and his Word than these experts who have spent their lives studying and teaching the law of Moses?
We too, will "hear and not understand" and "see but not perceive" God's word if we approach it with indifference, scepticism, and disbelief. Do we look without seeing? Do we hear without understanding? The parable of Jesus challenges us to get out of our laziness. Our minds are easily distracted by too much information and images without any insight. We spend hours dealing with trivial matters but fail to hear God's voice.
Holy Spirit, be our teacher and guide. Open our ears to hear God's word and open our eyes to understand God's actions in our lives. May our hearts never grow dull and may our ears never tire of hearing Christ's voice.