Sixth Sunday: Indifference

 



Indifference to God is the fastest growing religion in the United States. There are those who profess to be open to various ways of understanding life’s ultimate meaning, but never quite settle down to any commitment. There are those who are absolutely closed to God believing that their lives are determined, material realities. There are those who profess some kind of faith, but are ultimately indifferent to the truth of any religious claim. Indifference is satisfying because it imposes no obligation to change. Indifference can be a happy enough life until life goes off the rails. Jeremiah is complaining about Israel’s indifference. Israel hops from God to gods looking for someone that can satisfy them in the next fifteen minutes.
 
Jeremiah
“Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” Jer. 17:5
 
Jeremiah curses those whose lives are like a “barren bush in the wasteland.” A barren bush is dying because it is cut off from the source of life. Idol worship is the great evil in the eyes of Jeremiah. Everyone needs some bedrock to their life but some bedrock is more like sand. Idol worship is the continuing need to find a belief that satisfies me now.  Cut off from the deepest source of life we trust in something or someone that can scratch my itch. Ultimately you worship what you put your trust in – money and power possibly. In Jeremiah’s time, it was the trust that the Israelites placed in the Egyptians. Israel had made a treaty with the Babylonians that required them to pay tribute. The king of Israel was persuaded that he could get out of that obligation by allying himself with the Egyptians. In the event the Babylonians attacked, the Egyptians would come to their aid. Israel’s king could save some money and the Egyptians could weaken their enemy the Babylonians. It didn’t work out for Israel. The Babylonians attacked and Egypt did not show up. That is the problem with putting your trust in a bedrock that turns out to be sand. Our only bedrock is God.
 
Jesus and the Beatitudes
Jesus is teaching the same truth. The faithful know themselves to be the have-­nots. Jesus contrasts the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the hated with the greedy, the full, the laughing and those held in high regard. [i] In Jeremiah’s world that would be the contrast between the true prophet and the false prophet.
 
Jeremiah and the prophets hungered for justice for Israel. Justice is observing the right order of relationship between us and God and within our community. To be concerned about how children are treated in the womb or on the border is a matter of right relationship. To be alert to an economy that provides opportunities for people to support themselves and their families is a concern of right relationship and therefore justice. If you remove God from the world, all that is left is human power and domination.
 
If there is no supernatural order, the Sermon on the Mount makes no sense. Indifference thrives only where people have decided something is more important to them than God. Indifference tugs at all our hearts. To be attentive to God’s presence we must do something to cultivate are faith and awareness of him. Here are a couple of ideas:
 

• Novena for Couples: Are you looking for a way to connect with your spouse or partner? Starting today, the Marriage Ministry team is rolling out a 9 week couples Lenten reflection series centering around a novena for marriage and exercises from the best-selling book, Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson.  Each week for 9 weeks a reflection will be made available including a summary from the book, followed by some questions for consideration and discussion with your spouse.  The reflection reminds you of what happens at a wedding and then is wrapped up in a beautiful novena prayer for your marriage.
• Adult Confirmation: If you are an adult and have yet to receive the sacrament of confirmation, join Father John this Spring. Classes for our Spring Adult Confirmation Program begin Saturday, March 2. If you have any questions or are searching to receive the sacrament of confirmation fill in the form below and we will contact you as soon as we can.