"Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD."
The reading from Jeremiah is a difficult one, urging us to trust in the Lord at all times. So rather than advice or interpretation, it prompts some reflection questions:
1) Who or what do we trust in in place of the Lord?
2) Why is it easier to trust in those other people or things instead of the Lord?
3) When is a time you have experienced a time of drought and still found blessings within it?
4) How do you think the Lord "tests" our hearts, as is stated in the passage?
5) The Lord states that he will reward everyone "according to the merit of his deeds." What might this mean, in regards to our salvation? We cannot really earn our salvation, after all.
Then, the gospel reading, I found interesting. Particularly:
'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.'
Ironic, since Jesus rose from the dead partially for this reason. So is this indicating that there are just some people who will never be convinced to follow God?
When I was looking at the reading, what stood out to me was the line,
ReplyDelete"I, the LORD, alone probe the mind
and test the heart,
To reward everyone according to his ways,
according to the merit of his deeds."
I feel like the word "testing" in this context could be exchanged with "judging" or "weighing." It is meant to convey that God knows our intentions and reasons for doing deeds, however they may look to other people on earth. Doing good deeds to aggrandize one's self are done without love, whereas something done anonymously or in a way that others can't see as good are still judged by the fact that God knows what we were trying to do and that we meant it with love.
I think the part about being awarded according to our ways is also very important. It shows that we do not all have to be Mother Theresa, we can do things according to our talents and how we feel we should show God's love in the world. I think people too often feel bad about themselves or don't act because they won't live up to what role models have done or aren't willing to make the same sacrifices as others. But God understands that and here is saying that it's fine to do it our way, as long as we are still doing it with love for God and others in our hearts.