Comfortable?

Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in the United States and in the world. It can make us feel good: safety in numbers and comfort in familiar traditions.

Today’s readings should make us feel uncomfortable. In the first reading, Jeremiah denounces the people who maintain the outward shell of true religion while committing injustice, sacrilege, and violence. In the Gospel, there is a parable about evil seeds being sown among the good.

Today’s readings should strike fear in the hearts of those who are “Catholic in name only” and also challenge all of us to not be complacent in our faith, but to deepen our doctrinal fidelity, authentic spirituality, and true Christian charity.