Word to the Wise
Saturday, July 26, 2008 - Sts. Joachim and Ann
[Jeremiah 7:1-11 and Matthew 13:24-30]Reform your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place. Put not your trust in the deceitful words: "This is the temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord!" Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place, in the land I gave your fathers long ago and forever.
God tells Jeremiah to stand in front of the temple and shout at those going in and out! Imagine someone doing that in front of St. Peter's in Rome or in front of our parish church! How fast would we call the police to have the "nuisance" removed! Jeremiah is warning the people that the fact that the temple of the Lord was there would not protect them from their bad behavior and social injustice! Complacency is a dangerous attitude. We Americans learned something about that in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers! Jeremiah reminds the people that institutions and buildings, no matter how lofty and dedicated, will not protect a people when those same institutions are used for oppression or come to represent corruption. The Catholic Church learned that lesson in the reformation. The building of St. Peter's in Rome required money that was raised in part by selling indulgences!! Luther's anger over that was the spark that set the church on fire! Jeremiah tells us what the true program of faith is about. If we're not doing those things, there's no point in building a church house! AMEN
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