Photo was taken at Vernon, France

This group of ducks caught my eye early in the morning as they made their way out onto the River Seine, looking across river to the French town of Vernon.

Thought on Sunday – February – 03/02/2013

The following reflection is by Triona Doherty

The prophets of the Old Testament often needed a pep talk before they set about their mission. Jeremiah’s first reaction when God called him to be a prophet was ‘Ah Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy’. Prophecy was not an easy path; there would be challenges and persecution, people would refuse to listen to him, his own friends would turn against him and there would even be plots against his life.

In the First Reading, God offers Jeremiah some words of reassurance: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… I will make you into a fortified city… I am with you to deliver you’. In spite of the obstacles ahead, Jeremiah had no need to fear. God would be with him and would give him strength. Following in the footsteps of the prophets, today’s Gospel sees Jesus face a plot against his life. As he speaks in the synagogue, the people are at first astonished by his words, but then become uncomfortable. ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’ they ask. They turn against him and are so enraged that they lead him out of town and try to throw him off a cliff. But God is with him and he is kept safe. Today’s Psalm tells us that God is our rock, our refuge, our stronghold. He knows the challenges we face, yet he has a plan for our lives. He is our strength.