Homily-Thursday of the 16th
Week In Ord. Time Yr.B, Fr. Udoekpo, M
v Jer
2:1-3,7-8,12-13
v Ps
36:6-7ab,8-9,10-11
v Matt
13:10-17
Broken Cistern? The Lord is the Source of
Living Waters!
In ancient times and even today we cannot overestimate
the importance of water, spring, stream, river etc. Humanity, Adam have always need water for living and for livelihood. It is a source of life for many of God’s creatures and nature- fish
and animals in the oceans, crop and farm irrigation, animals drinks those wadi-
waters, humans cook and drink; pharmaceutical industries would need water to
develop medicines and the most needed vaccines against this ongoing corona-virus,
today—you name it. Water is a symbol of life. In biblical literature especially
today’s reading from Jeremiah 2, God is the source of water, the source and
giver of life!
That is why each of us in Psalm 1 are called not only to
be righteous, but to be like trees planted by the bank of the River (v.3). In
Amos 5 Justice is expected to “roll down like waters, and righteousness like
and overflowing stream (v.24). In the prophet Ezekiel’s newly rebuilt temple
water shall flow from there nourishing crops, trees, animals, creatures and
humans on the different parts of the planet (Ezekiel 47). Of course, in ancient
Egypt, in Egyptology, the Nile River was seen as a god, the source of
everything!
However, a late
pre-exilic prophets, Jeremiah of Anathoth, using similar and familiar water symbol- of life, had to
remind Israel(Judah and Samaria/north) of the goodness of the lord, the source
of life and livelihood that span the time of creation through the exodus to the
land God had promised Israel(Judah/ the north).
Such reminder, and
calling- out, is important because Israel has sinned, and drifted away from the
goodness of the Lord. They have begun to show signs of disloyalty and ingratitude
to the Lord. They are not receptive to God’s word. They display lack of retentive
memories. For this, Jeremiah says, “[Israel} they have forsaken me, the
source of living waters; they have dug themselves broken cisterns, broken
cisterns, the hold no water.”
How often do we not act like “broken cisterns” or prefer “broken
cisterns” by being ungrateful to God or to our parents, teachers, mentors,
church community, and to those who have raised, advised, or assisted us in one
way or the other. We human always have very short sights and memories--- lie the ungrateful Israel of Jeremiah’s time. They were too quick to forget the miracle
of the red sea. They were too quick to forget the 10 plagues. They were too
quick not to remember the water and manna provided by God through Moses, you
name them!
Again, doing this, behaving this way, Jeremiah bluntly describes
it as digging “a broken cistern” for oneself that will not, or does not hold
water. In today’s Christ-Matthew’s parable digging a broken cistern is not wise.
It is like looking, but not seeing, hearing, but not listening. It is like
closing one’s eyes, and memories of the past goodness of the Lord, due to the
weaknesses of empty pride, arrogance and lack of receptive heart of gratitude.
The mysteries of God’s wonders and goodness in our lives,
that manifest in different forms requires, faith, trust, hope, humility and a
receptive hearts to understand, to remember that with the Lord is the source
and fountain of life, not in a broken, non-receptive cistern of empty pride,
disloyalty and ingratitude.
Reflection Questions
1.
How grateful are we
to God and to our parents, mentors and those who have counselled, assisted us
in this life, in one way or the other?
2.
In Laudato si’
Pope Francis calls for respect to planet, nature, including water, seas,
oceans, sea etc, how often do we listen and not pollute or cause injury to
nature-water, God’s creature?
3.
Could we think of any
time we have dug a “broken cistern” for ourselves in this life by being
ungrateful to God and to one another?
4.
In what ways have we
assisted our neighbor to be a grateful faith community member?
