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| Jeremiah prophesies to the people of Judah. |
-Brian Mendonca
In today's Sunday reading we see how Jeremiah advises us to place our trust in the Lord. (Jer.17:5-8) 'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,' he says. In the time of travail and vicissitude s/he need not fear. He even goes so far as to say, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man.' The relationship with God will help the person tide over the hard times.
The Bible provides vivid metaphors to illustrate the point. The person who turns away from the precepts of the Lord is like 'a shrub in the desert who shall not see any good come.' The person who trusts in the Lord is like 'a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.'
Water is seen a life-giving and sustaining. There is an echo here of Ezekiel and Sirach as well. 'We place our destiny in the hands of the Lord and not in the hands of men, because his mercy is as great as his majesty.' (Sirach 2: 18)
Jeremiah (c. 650 BCE-c. 570 BCE) was a prophet who lived around hundred years after the prophet Isaiah. He warned the people of their evil ways - which is why he is called the prophet of doom. He is believed to have written the book of Jeremiah in the Bible.
In his time Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzer (587 BCE); the temple was destroyed; and the king and people of Judah were exiled to Babylon.
The verses from Jer. 17:5-11 read like a canticle in praise of the Lord. It ends with a missive against ill-gotten wealth:
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