Word to the Wise
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - Wednesday in the 17th Week in Ordinary Time
[Jer 15:10, 16-21 and Matt 13:44-46]Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth! a man of strife and contention to all the land! I neither borrow nor lend, yet all curse me. When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, because I bore your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
Jeremiah has given his name for a word in the English language: "jeremiad." My handy dictionary defines it as: "a bitter lament or righteous prophecy of doom!" That describes Jeremiah, to be sure! There's no question that he didn't want the job to begin with! (Jer. 1:4-10) Every once in awhile he breaks forth in complaint to God about how difficult his life is as a prophet! Today's scripture is an example of that complaint! To experience another one, even more dramatic, read Jer. 20:7-12! Nobody appreciates a "prophet of doom!" They are the ants at the great picnic of life! Jeremiah knows that as well as anyone, yet God has put a fire in his bones [20:9] and he cannot fight it. He has to speak out! But that does not prevent him from those introspective "Woe is me!" moments that all of us have when we know that we have to give bad news!
It is the fate of the prophet to hold up a mirror to others and ask them if the image matches their faith! How do we react? It is common to be hostile and defensive in the face of dire prophecy! Jeremiah called his people and their leaders to account for idolatry and risky alliances. One of the reactions was to throw him down a well! Subsequent events proved that his message should have been listened to! Perhaps he offers us an opportunity to consider the prophets in our own time, whether they speak to us as individuals ("lose weight or else") or as a nation ("Respect life!") Maybe we should have second thoughts about throwing those prophets, or what they say to us, down a well! AMEN