First reading Jeremiah 2:1-3,7-8,12-13
I brought you to a fertile country and you defiled it
The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying, ‘Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem:
‘“The Lord says this:
I remember the affection of your youth,
the love of your bridal days:
you followed me through the wilderness,
through a land unsown.
Israel was sacred to the Lord,
the first-fruits of his harvest;
anyone who ate of this had to pay for it,
misfortune came to them –
it is the Lord who speaks.”
‘I brought you to a fertile country
to enjoy its produce and good things;
but no sooner had you entered than you defiled my land,
and made my heritage detestable.
The priests have never asked, “Where is the Lord?”
Those who administer the Law have no knowledge of me.
The shepherds have rebelled against me;
the prophets have prophesied in the name of Baal,
following things with no power in them.
‘You heavens, stand aghast at this,
stand stupefied, stand utterly appalled
– it is the Lord who speaks.
Since my people have committed a double crime:
they have abandoned me,
the fountain of living water,
only to dig cisterns for themselves,
leaky cisterns
that hold no water.’
Responsorial Psalm 35(36):6-11
In you, Lord, is the source of life.
Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven;
your truth to the skies.
Your justice is like God’s mountain,
your judgements like the deep.
O Lord, how precious is your love.
My God, the sons of men
find refuge in the shelter of your wings.
They feast on the riches of your house;
they drink from the stream of your delight.
In you is the source of life
and in your light we see light.
Keep on loving those who know you,
doing justice for upright hearts.
Gospel Matthew 13:10-17
Prophets and holy men longed to hear what you hear
The disciples went up to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:
You will listen and listen again, but not understand,
see and see again, but not perceive.
For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,
their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,
for fear they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted
and be healed by me.
‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’
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God, the true living fountain
The first reading from the prophet Jeremiah tells of God’s love story with Israel. He remembers how His people once followed Him with trust, but over time, they turned to false gods. He says, “They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, only to dig cisterns for themselves, leaky cisterns that hold no water.” The people have exchanged a fresh, flowing foundation of living water for broken containers that hold no water, leaving them thirsty. The words of God continue to echo to us today. We often exchange God, our true source of love, for idols of success, comfort, approval and pleasure- things that promise a lot but ultimately never give us the fullness of contentment we long for.
In the Gospel, Jesus states that He speaks in parables because He recognises that many people’s hearts are closed. They look but do not see, and they listen but do not truly hear. Today, we pray that our hearts will not become distracted so that we can listen to God as He speaks to us. He wants us to return to Him, the “fountain of living water”, where we can find our fulfilment and joy.
Reflective question:
What “leaky cisterns” do I depend on for security or satisfaction instead of trusting God as my true source of living water?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
