The 30th Sunday of the Year
Jer 31:7-9; Heb 5:1-6; Mk 10:46-52 (year b)
The prophet Jeremiah was an unwelcome voice to his contemporaries in Jerusalem. He consistently denounced the power that shamelessly exploited the poor. Above all, he condemned the shallow faith that had yielded to worldly temptations rather than embracing the God who had called his people out of slavery.
From the darkness of the gathering storm, this same Jeremiah spoke words of hope that would sustain God’s people through the approaching catastrophe: “See, I will bring them back and gather them from the ends of the earth. They left in tears. I will comfort them as I lead them back; I will guide them to streams of water by a smooth path where they will not stumble. For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first born.”
