16 February 2025 #ourhopeisintheLord

The world was a mess at the time of Jeremiah: his fellow priests are corrupt, his court prophets worship Ba’al and Asherah, his civic leaders make ill-advised alliances with Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon then reject God’s correction by silencing (killing) His prophets. Jeremiah’s own people practice idolatry, forsake God’s commandments, and the rich oppress the poor. A hopeless mess, as it were.

It seems we’re living in very Jeremiah-ish times, yes? It seems our federal government is in turmoil, our state legislature is in distress, the behavior of our own Church leadership refutes the whole one, catholic, apostolic church credal statement, Catholics are silenced or skewered in civic moral discourse, and the rich still oppress the poor in some very real ways. The world is still a mess in most respects. As Jeremiah says, we are a barren bush of the desert standing in lava waste, heavily salted in an empty earth. A challenging mess indeed.

So what’s a faithful Catholic girl to do? Well, the readings are all over it.

“Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD,” says Jeremiah. “Blessed (happy) are they who hope in the Lord,” sings the psalmist. Paul lectures us, “Your faith is in vain… you are the most pitiable people of all” if we think this life on earth is the be-all and end-all. And Jesus? Well, Jesus will stand with and reward the poor, the hungry, the mourning, and the hated. He warns the rich, the sated, the self-possessed, the popular, and the arrogant that they have received their reward here on earth, so ‘have a nice (after)life.’ Tough love, as it were.

What exactly does this mean for you and I?

First, it means that although it may be true that selfish human beings who worship money, sports, and power rule the world, we who hope in the Lord have eternity on our side. Second, for those times that we are rich, sated, self-possessed, popular, and arrogant (and I am all those in different ways and different times), we need to head off to confession, do the hokey-pokey and turn-ourselves-around. Third, it means that whatever happens in the chaos of the world, every single morning is an opportunity to do the Good the Lord has called us to do.

Lastly, we’re a season of change. The objectives and initiatives we seek to undertake may seem impossible. But they are not. These are the way things ought to be - and will bring heaven-on-earth to our little corner of the world. And what a wonderful world that would be. #ourhopeisintheLord