Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

The Psalm response for today, “God is my refuge on the day of distress” seems an obvious truism. Most of us turn to the Lord on days that are tumultuous. It is in these times our prayers are often laments or complaints. It is in this context that we can understand what Jeremiah is trying to say to God in the first reading. The prophets’ strife is such that he almost wishes to renounce his birth. Jeremiah’s pain, like our own, can consume all of our drive. Jeremiahs’ fierce honesty shows us that a relationship with the Lord is difficult. Jeremiah is almost wishing the struggle away. How many times do we find ourselves stuck in funk or in trouble and pray for it to be taken away? The answer the Lord gives to Jeremiah is “though they fight against you, they shall not prevail, for I am with you.” God is asking Jeremiah and thereby us to trust that He is still present even when times are tough.

In the Gospel, Jesus is talking to his disciples about the “Kingdom of heaven.” He uses a treasure buried in a field as an analogy. In Jesus’ day, tumultuous times saw people burying their treasure. In our own day, we see people, unnerved by the current housing and financial crisis. Jesus challenges us to look for what is our treasure. True followers of Jesus must forsake everything (empty themselves) in order to be fully committed to the awesome beauty of God’s Reign. We are called to live as Jeremiah: find God’s Words, devour them, allow them to become our joy and consume our heart.

- Michael Montgomery