Jeremiah 13:1-11 / Matthew 13:31-35
It would be rather awkward and embarrassing to talk about undergarments in a sacred and holy context of the homily.
Even the mention of the word "underwear" will irritate some sensitivities.
Yet the 1st reading was so graphic in description about the loincloth and its decay.
But the purpose of graphic language is to irritate and cause discomfort to us.
Because when we see decay, we get this disgusted feeling.
When God sees our spiritual decay caused by sin, He too gets disgusted.
And
He will employ all means to wake us up to our decay and destruction, even
using an embarrassing and awkward item like a loincloth.
Whenever we see something that is rotting and decaying, we turn away in disgust.
Yet it is strange that whenever we sin, we turn away from God and we foolishly swirl in rot and decay.
Yet the Lord reaches out to us sinners and binds Himself to us just as man wraps a loincloth closely around his waist.
God
wants to wake us up from our foolishness and stupidity so that we will
cling to Him as a loincloth clings to the waist of a man.
Yet along with the mercy and forgiveness of God, there is also a stern warning.
As the Lord says : If you do not stand by Me, you will not stand at all (Isa 7:9)