Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

The first reading from the book if Jeremiah belongs to a special kind of literature in the Bible called the Lamentations. It means what the word proposes: a person lamenting because of some external situation or because of one’s own misfortune. Before we proceed to understand the reason for Jeremiah’s lament let us understand the context of Jeremiah’s ministry. Jeremiah received his calling to be a prophet during a crisis period in the history of the people of Israel. He received his calling in a rather dramatic way. He heard the voice of Yahweh while he was still a youth. God brushed aside Jeremiah’s protests in accepting the ministry of a prophet. The Lord himself extended his hand and consecrated the lips of Jeremiah. This was during the reign of King Josiah, who had started a reform in Judah by which he pledged fidelity to the Covenant that Israel had made with God. But after his death, the old idolatry returned and temples were erected to the pagan gods. Moreover, the false prophet Hananiah counselled the new king Zedekiah to some very poor political strategy against the ascending power of the Babylonians. Jeremiah opposed the idolatry and the political strategies with all his might. But he was arrested, imprisoned and mocked a number of times. It is in this context that Jeremiah laments his plight.

Jeremiah’s lamentation reveals three things. First of all, it reveals his intimate relationship with God. He talks to God in a language that only intimate friends use. Secondly, in spite of his suffering he is convinced of his calling to be a prophet. He is willing to pay the price for his calling. Thirdly, it reveals that while suffering comes from many factors, there is a suffering that comes from being on the Lord’s side.

So what’s in these reading for us since we no longer suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel? The first thing we are called to do is imitate the intimacy of Jeremiah in his relationship with God. His trust in God is phenomenal. That is the kind of trust that Christ asks us to have as he says, “So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” When we do face suffering in the form of sickness and death, break in relationships and children who disappoint us, it is intimacy with God and trust in him that can carry us through.

Let us end the reflection with the words of the Psalmist today:
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness.

Fr. Satish Joseph