Appreciation of God's Heritage

Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, 23rd July, 2020
Texts: Jer. 2:1-3.7-8.12-13; Ps. 36:6-11; Matt. 13:10-17
Who are the people whose heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes are closed? These are the people who know the truth but reject it; they know God but abandon him. Hence, Jesus says, "This is why I used parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand".
They are the people who defile God's heritage to them. This is clear in the first reading. The memory of the devotion of the youth of Israel is full of the unfaithfulness of the people and the display of God's love. They experienced God's faithful love, his mercy, his loving care and protection in the wilderness. God bestowed on them a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and good things, and also gave them law and his words as the revelation of himself to them, but they defiled his heritage. God has given us life but very often, we hew out cisterns for ourselves, broken cisterns, that cannot hold water. God has given us natural and human resources but what have we made out of it, but cisterns, a broken one as such that cannot hold water. Through bribery and corruption we have hewed out cisterns for ourselves, a broken one that cannot hold water. Issues about EFCC and NDDC are here before us. Internet fraud, armrobbery, banditry, terrorism etc have smeared our human resources.
We do not follow the word of Jesus: ""Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces" (Matt. 7:6). We have given what is sacred to dogs and our pearls to pigs.
Jesus used parables for the people to avoid given the secret of the kingdom to those who do not deserve it. They would rather defile it.
Those to whom the the secret of the kingdom is revealed are those who can handle the truth of the kingdom. Those who are able to handle the truth of the kingdom are those who are ready to live by the truth, not those who will pay deaf ears.
Dear friends, how do will handle the heritage of God: the sacraments in the church, our gifts and talents, our time and the earth, our family, wealth and position of authority etc. Do will defile them? Some of us use wealth and position of authority to oppress and perpetrate evil; some use their life-time to do evil. We abuse holy Eucharist when we approach it without being in a state of grace. We abuse Sacrament of reconciliation when we conceal sins. Today we are called to appreciate God's heritage, if we are to be worthy of the secrets of God's kingdom.

God our Father, forgive us for the number of times we have defiled your heritage, pour out your grace on us that we might appreciate them. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke