Ordinary 16

Jeremiah is a reminder to pastors regarding their responsibility to warn the people about their sins. If a priest ever wanted or needed an excuse to be "prophetic", this weekend is it.

The people who need to hear that prophetic voice are often not present. Those present do need assurances about what is right and what is wrong. The tone of the homily must be balanced. A pastor who soft sells everything is falling short of his obligation to the people.

What if we asked for a show of hands for each sin and then preached about the one that got the most votes? It is a humorous suggestion that we find out what the people do need to hear.