6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Living-Well and Living-Recklessly

The First Reading (Jeremiah 17:5–8 )

“Thus saith the Lord: Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like tamaric in the desert, and he shall not see when good shall come: but he shall dwell in dryness in the desert in a salt land, and not inhabited. Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence. And he shall be as a tree that is planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots towards moisture: and it shall not fear when the heat cometh. And the leaf thereof shall be green, and in the time of drought it shall not be solicitous, neither shall it cease at any time to bring forth fruit.”

The prophet talks of the person whose highest security is fellow human beings. There are categories of such kinds of people: firstly, there are those who rely on themselves; secondly, those who rely on acquaintances, friends and relatives; and thirdly, are those who rely on humanity in general. The first kind are the least smart. There are so many ways things could go wrong and one may have to turn elsewhere. The second lot at least, are aware that one can borrow or seek help from others. The third are people who rely on senses, are more erudite and nuanced, and have faith in humanity, but only theoretically - deep down they have no hope at all. Life is grappling with issues that can never be overcome definitively.