Heeding the Voice of the Lord

In today's first reading, Baruch 1: 15-22, the Chosen People realize that the evils of the past cling to them.  Acknowledging their sinfulness, the exiles in Babylon pray:  "Justice is with the Lord, our God; and we today are flushed with shame, we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem, that we, with our kings and rulers and priests and prophets, and with our ancestors, have sinned in the Lord's sight and disobeyed him."  The Israelites grieve the fact that "we have neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God, nor followed the precepts which the Lord has set before us...[W]e have been disobedient to the Lord our God, and only too ready to disregard his voice." 

 We certainly can repeat those truths, as we, too, have often paid no attention to the voice of our God. We, too, have many times been disobedient to the Lord, our God.  Evil seems to cling to us, as the Chosen People realized had become their reality.  We can look back to Adam and Eve who followed their own wills, not the will of God for them.  Also, instead of owning their personal truth, Eve blamed the serpent--the devil made me do it--and Adam blamed Eve--it was her fault.  Neither accepted responsibility for the pit into which each had fallen.

How often do we deny our personal responsibility for the "pits" into which we have fallen. How often, that is, do we not blame someone else for our sinfulness, as Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed Eve. This behavior, and other ways in which the voice of the Lord goes unheard, abounds in our world today, in spite of the fact that we have Jesus in our midst! Will Jesus say to us what he said to the people of Choazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum:  Woe to you...For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and  Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgement than for you. And as for you Capernaum, 'will you be exalted to heaven?  You will go down to the netherworld.' Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." 

To whom am I, are you, listening?

Jesus' Notices: Are We Ready?

Today is the feast of St. Matthew, an apostle and evangelist and also a former tax collector.  Tax collectors, in Jesus’ time, were despised and among the lowest of the low. They collected taxes for the Romans who occupied their land and took some of the proceeds for themselves. They might be likened today to those in public office or public service who are not about serving their constituents or being cooperative in creating policies that benefit the common good but are about lining their pockets and exploiting others for their personal gain.  Persons of this nature are, in the words of Scripture, building “their houses” on sand. When the winds and rains come, their “houses” will collapse.  They are the unwise stewards cheating their master and who, when the Son of Man comes in the dead of “night,”   are likely to be found wanting.

What about Matthew, then? The Gospel tells us, that, as Jesus passed by Matthew’s custom post, Jesus noticed him and said: “Follow me.”  Matthew’s heart was open to the Lord. Most likely he had heard of Him and had been pondering His teachings privately. He was ready and Jesus knew it. “Follow Me,” Jesus says. Matthew left the custom post and followed the Lord. Not only did he open his heart to Jesus, he also opened his home as well.  Jesus accepted Matthew’s openness and had a meal with Him and fellow tax collectors, persons in need of and open to conversion.

Are you and I ready? Are we waiting? Will we leave our “custom post,” that activity that is unjust, that is exploitative of others or by which we use another for our personal advantage? Are we ready to change our lives, to let go of that which shuts Jesus out of our lives? Are we ready to follow Jesus and become missionary disciples? Are we ready to carry out the purpose for which God created us, that is to become servants of others, messengers of His love and mercy and forgiveness, as Matthew did?