“DIDJA KNOW?”
by: Deacon Paul Rooney (deaconpaul@cox.net)
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Cycle “A" – June 19, 2005)

Q. 324:   Why was Jeremiah hated and persecuted so much (Jer 20:10-13)?   Wasn’t he what we could call a “man of God”?

A. 324:   There is an old saying you have heard which says: “You are what you eat.”   It has a lot to say about both habit and character, at both the physical and spiritual levels.   If we overeat, it is probably because of an unhealthy “habit” or eating disorder.   It is also an indication that a “vice” has a grip on us, rather than a “virtue” – and our resistance to “change” indicates how strong that grip really is.   We “choose” our own consequences.

The prophet Jeremiah encountered resistance to his teaching and preaching.   He carried a message that people did not want to hear: to "beware," because disaster was coming to the entire country, unless they changed their ways and returned to God.   The religious leaders, the political leaders, and even his friends and family turned against him for preaching that prophetic message.   But it was God’s message; and the people refused to repent of their wickedness.   Accordingly, they effectively “chose” their own consequences and were carried away into captivity when Jerusalem was destroyed. (Wake up, America! Are you listening?)

Both the First Reading and the Gospel (Mt 10:26-33)  have the same message: do not fear anyone, but trust in God and follow his teachings: the eternal soul is much more important than the body!   If you do not believe, carry out and proclaim His word of truth, then He will not acknowledge you either, on judgment day.

Know Your Catechism!   Do you “pick and choose” to believe only that which does not call for change in your lifestyle?   The ecumenical council Vatican II officially taught: “In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent” (Lumen Gentium 25; CCC#892).  Will you reject this Magisterium, these “men of God,” just as Jeremiah’s contemporaries rejected him, and face the consequences?   What is your real character and habitual mode of thinking on issues of Church teaching?   Beware!

Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha