Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
I confess, I wonder what Jesus meant when he said that we all must become like children if we want to enter the kingdom of God. I think that some of it may be just the wonder in the child’s eye and heart. In the exploration of the wonders in creation, the child is awestruck by the discovery of so many new things he or she encounters every day. Is it any wonder that in the spring, the child is struck by the beauty of a field or even a yard filled with those little yellow flowers? The child picks a bouquet of them and presents them to the mother as an expression of love and a desire to share the beauty the child sees in the gift. No matter that it is a bouquet of dandelions! Although it is a weed, there is something beautiful in the flower with the intention of wanting to share the beauty with someone. A similar case can be made for the thistle; a beautiful flower that betrays a noxious weed.
How do we know what is good and what is not so good? How do we learn what makes for a beautiful yard and what plant must be destroyed? And when it comes to our lives, what behavior or trait is pleasing, and what has no place? It is said that a truly wise person realizes how little he or she knows. Still, we know that lies hide the truth. They appear to be honest statements, but the evidence confirms the contrary. Do we confront the liar? Do we let it go and hope someone else will do the deed? There are accusations filling the news that some in government are not telling us the truth. Do we hear these as “fake news” or does Jeremiah speak to our hearts? The prophet is in pain as he witnesses the destruction of Jerusalem and sees the dead, the hungry, the poor in the streets. The one complaint is echoed in our world today: “We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.” In these difficult days, we ask the Lord to open our eyes and read our hearts. What do we see, and what is hidden in the words of others? The Lord is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” We cannot err if we are following him.
Reflection by Fr. Martin DeMeulenaere, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections