Reading 1
Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:
Write all the words I have spoken to you in a book.
For thus says the LORD:
Incurable is your wound,
grievous your bruise;
There is none to plead your cause,
no remedy for your running sore,
no healing for you.
All your lovers have forgotten you,
they do not seek you.
I struck you as an enemy would strike,
punished you cruelly;
Why cry out over your wound?
your pain is without relief.
Because of your great guilt,
your numerous sins,
I have done this to you.
Thus says the LORD:
See! I will restore the tents of Jacob,
his dwellings I will pity;
City shall be rebuilt upon hill,
and palace restored as it was.
From them will resound songs of praise,
the laughter of happy men.
I will make them not few, but many;
they will not be tiny, for I will glorify them.
His sons shall be as of old,
his assembly before me shall stand firm;
I will punish all his oppressors.
His leader shall be one of his own,
and his rulers shall come from his kin.
When I summon him, he shall approach me;
how else should one take the deadly risk
of approaching me? says the LORD.
You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
Gospel
Mt 14:22-36
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
Meditation: Jeremiah 30:1-2,12-15,18-22
“Your wounds I will heal.” (Jeremiah 30:17)
Nebuchadnezzar’s army swarming over Jerusalem, bringing death and devastation. The Temple going up in flames. Thousands of people rounded up and sent on a forced march into exile. The wounds inflicted upon Israel’s heart and soul surely seemed incurable. Is it possible that God had really abandoned his people? Is it possible that he had a change of heart?
Time and again, God spoke to his people through prophets like Jeremiah. And his call was always the same: “Return to the Lord with all your heart! Give up the false idols of the peoples around you!” Over and over again, God called his people back to him, but the distance between them grew as the people moved further away from him. And moving further from him, they had separated themselves from his protection. Now the time had come for them to reap what they had sown. It isn’t that God was punishing them. Rather, they were merely experiencing the consequences of their own actions—and they were devastating consequences indeed!
Yet it is in this dark hour that we see the overwhelming mercy of the Father. Despite what all the people had done against him and his commands, God still promised: “You shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:22). Their sins may have brought them to this point, but God’s love would bring them back. They may be bowed down in shame, but God would lift them up and restore all that had been lost.
This is how God treats all of us. We may find ourselves in a place of despair or desolation. Perhaps the things we thought would bring fulfillment only dragged us outside the Father’s grasp. But he continues to pursue us with love. If we take just one step toward him, he runs to us with open arms. All we have to do is decide to take that first step. No matter what you are facing now, no matter what you have done in the past, know that your heavenly Father wants to heal you and forgive you so you can walk with him. He is completely committed to you.
“Father, how wonderful is your love! I place my hope in your mercy, for you are filled with compassion. How glorious you are, and how mighty is your love!”
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