This week all the first readings at daily Mass are from the Book of Jeremiah. The book is challenging to read and comprehend on its own and even more so when broken up into bits of narrative that do not provide context. The readings this week are taken from Chapters 13, 14, 15, 18, and 26. Naturally one might assume there is an underlying chronological order. That would be a bad assumption. For example, the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem is talked about in chapter 21 (~587 BC) but in Chapter 25 we are in year 604 BC [“…the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah (the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon)” Jer 25:1]. The clear message of Jeremiah 25 is that “Babylon is coming for you!” And is just one of many examples. Continue reading →