Daily Retreat 07/30/08

2008 Jul 30 Wed Jer 15: 10. 16-21/ Ps 58(59): 2-3. 4. 10-11. 17. 18/ Mt 13: 44-46   From today's readings:  "When I found Your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, because I bore Your Name, O LORD, God of hosts....  O my strength! your praise will I sing, for You, O God, are my stronghold, my merciful God!...  The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field...."   Lord, I'm ready to quit!   Five times in the book of Jeremiah, the prophet bares his soul in a series of desperate confessions, expressing his inner anguish because of the weight of his prophetic office: 11:18-12:6, 15:10-21, 17:12-18, 18:18-23, 20:7-18.  In the first reading (most of his second "confession"), while not denying the joy his vocation has brought him, Jeremiah nevertheless curses his birth and voices his frustration at the Lord for the bitter fruits of his vocation.   God's reply is not overly sympathetic, insisting on Jeremiah's repentance for his nearly blasphemous complaints.  But God does offer to renew Jeremiah's vocation, and promises the protection of His presence.   Even though our trials and tribulations aren't generally as torturous as were Jeremiah's, most of us in all walks of life have moments when the weight of our own vocation is overbearing - we focus on the suffering that it's brought us, which seems to overshadow all the joys that are part of it too.  And God's reply is similar, re-calling us to fidelity in our vocation, and promising the protection of His presence.  No matter what difficulties we encounter, we will find God with us when we are faithful to His call, whereas if we were to give in to the temptation to abandon our vocation, we would also be abandoning God.