Thursday 21 July

Jeremiah 2: 1-3, 7-8, 12-13; Psalm 36: 6-11; Matthew 13: 10-17

Closed hearts

Jesus’ words about the purpose of his parables are mysterious. The truth is that he knew that some of his listeners had already closed their hearts and were intent on belittling him in the eyes of the people. Similarly, in the Hebrew Scriptures through his prophet Jeremiah, God laments the fact that his people have forsaken him and dug out cracked cisterns that can hold no water. Sadly, though we profess to belong to the Lord, our life in him can wilt or even die if we do not nourish ourselves at the fount of living water.