16th Week, Wednesday, July 20

16^th Week, Wednesday, July 20

Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10 / Matthew 13:1-9 

Jeremiah protests his calling: “I am too young!”

 John Powell writes in Through Seasons of the Heart: “There’s an old Christian tradition that God sends each person into this world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing for others, with a special act of love to bestow. “No one can speak my message, or sing my song, or offer my act of love. These are entrusted to me.” None of us is too young, too weak, or too old to deliver a message, sing a song, or bestow an act of love. Regardless of who we are, we have a mission to fulfill in this world. It was given to us by God himself.

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Do we look upon our talents as gifts to be shared with others? “God has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have a mission.” John Cardinal Newman

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For those of us who live in an urban environment, it is often said that we live in a concrete jungle. But even though it may be a concrete jungle, we know our way around, we have electricity at our disposal and gadgets to get on with our work and other devices for our entertainment. 

But when we move out to the countryside, we may be awed by nature with its so many varieties with its sounds and colours and to see how animals and plants grow and multiply. If we were shown some seeds, we may not be able to identify them to their species nor will we know what type of plant or tree it they would grow into. 

But certainly, God will know, and He creates with a divine plan and order that each seed will have a future of growth and add to the wonder and beauty of His creation. And even for us, as the prophet Jeremiah says in the 1st reading, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you came to birth, I consecrated you."

 Each of us have a purpose in God's plan. For Jeremiah it was to be a prophet to the nations. But like the seeds in the gospel parable, there will be challenges and difficulties when it comes to fulfilling God's plan and purpose for us. 

But like what the Lord told Jeremiah: There, I am putting my words into your mouth. Look today I am setting you over nations and over kingdoms, to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. May our ears listen to the Word of God so that our mouths will always be ready to speak His Word and to bear a harvest for the Lord.

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Opening Prayer

Lord our God, you gave us Jesus, your Son, as the wise and perfect servant of you and of the people. Put your Spirit on us too, that like him and with him, we may bring your healing and justice to the weak and the dispossessed, without calling attention to ourselves, that people may see that what we give them is your tender care as taught us by Jesus Christ, our Lord.  

Intercessions

– That we may learn from Jesus to be discreet in our love and service to the poor, we pray:

– That we may learn from Jesus to be very respectful of people and care especially for those wounded in life, we pray:

– That Jesus may give us his Holy Spirit to work for justice and righteousness in our world, we pray: 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, this bread and wine we bring before you will become among us your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Let your and his Spirit rest on us, too, and let him renew us as people who live without compromising the message of justice and love and the very life of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God, you have called us to be brothers and sisters of Jesus your Son, and to share in his task of serving and healing. Fill us with his compassion and his discreet and tender love, that lifts up those broken in life and those wounded by sin. Help us to restore people in their human dignity and to make them aware that they are sons and daughters you love in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Blessing

We have heard God say about Jesus that he is the servant he likes. Jesus makes us servants with him. May we too, be pleasing to God, and may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.