The prophet Jeremiah contracts two different kind of men in the first reading today. The first man trusts in himself, not in God. He is arid and empty, like a scrub plant growing in the desert. With the luxuries and pleasures that surround this man, he is not even aware that he is living in the desert. The second man puts his trust in God and in the way that God suggests. This man puts down his roots where they are fed by streams of living waters. He is like a tree that is so healthy and well nourished that it can survive a time of drought. We can compare this to our call to holiness. In a Vatican audience in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI noted: “Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned.” The call to holiness does not mean that we are going to be perfect. The man who strives toward holiness strives toward perfection, although he will achieve that perfection without fault. Rather, through holiness, we are called to conversion, to repentance, to a new start, to reconciliation and forgiveness. May our lives of faith be like a tree growing in the fertile land. May they be lives of holiness.
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