Hidden faith will turn into ruins

Jeremiah 13:1-11

In this reading, God instructed Jeremiah to hide the loincloth in a hole in the rock, and some time later Jeremiah was instructed to retrieve it, only to find it “worthless and of no use”.

The loincloth is the most intimate part of a man’s clothing. And this is a symbol of the people of Israel too — the people of Israel were God’s divinely-elected people, they were close to God’s heart and were called to be intimate with Him.

From this reading, two lessons can be gleaned:
1. When Jeremiah found the loincloth spoilt and good for nothing, it’s akin to when we keep our faith hidden from others — it will be good for nothing too!
2. The story also reminds us if we don’t keep ourselves close to the Lord but hidden away in a hole, we will lose our mission and what we were made to do.

As humans, we are called to give life to others and be gift to others. It is in the chaste giving of ourselves for others that we become fulfilled. If we hide away, we become inward looking, self-centered at end of the day. And we detract from the very missions that the Lord has called us each to embark on.

Let us not forget too that our calling to be instruments of God’s peace and love is not only for ourselves, neither is it merely for those around us, but to the whole world!

We are called to be ambassadors for Christ, and we need to bring those who don’t know Christ to come to know Him through our ordinary lives. That was what Israel was instructed to do — to be a people who will be light to the world!

May we never hide our faith and become good-for-nothings, but instead may we be fearless in the the sharing of our faith so that when others see us, they see Christ.

___

Originally posted at Catholic Rambles.

Image: The Pursuit of  God — Know Your Bible

Nathalie Fernandez

Nathalie Fernandez

Nathalie Rachel Fernandez loves to engage in conversation (especially with strangers!), go on cheap backpacking trips around South-East Asia and make friends in the most random of places. She teaches General Paper at a junior college and she’s passionate about getting young people to adopt an attitude of gratitude and think about life and why we’re all put here on earth. A Roman Catholic revert, she left the faith in folly and came back home to a loving Father. She is pursuing a Certificate of Theology at the Catholic Theological Institute of Singapore, and falling in love with our Lord more and more each day!

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