Readings for Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Jeremiah 18:18-20
Today’s scripture comes from that part of Jeremiah referred to as “Oracles in the Days of Jehoiakim” The good king, Josiah, has died and with him the reforms Jeremiah was supporting. Now, in Jeremiah’s time, idolatry is creeping back in and the prophet is becoming unpopular. We hear the forces gathering against him in this reading. We also hear him pray to God that he might be remembered for his faithfulness.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
Psalm 31 is a lament in the face of adversity. Placed here, it could be a continuation of Jeremiah’s prayer from the first reading, asking for protection from those who would persecute.
Gospel Matthew 20:17-28
St. Matthew’s Gospel reading gives us the third and most detailed description of the coming passion. Emphasizing the lack of understanding of this event, James and John have their mother ask Jesus to elevate them to places of honor in his kingdom. The Lord questions the two, asking if they can drink the cup he will drink (accept the fate of martyrdom). When they answer in the affirmative, the Lord almost pronounces their acceptance as a sentence of death.
The squabbling that occurs between the disciples following this exchange prompts the Lord to define Christian leadership again, saying that those who would lead must be servants; they cannot be like the scribes and Pharisees.
Reflection:
The common thread running through scripture today is not a happy one for those of us who claim the call to discipleship in the Lord. First we hear one of God’s great messengers, the Prophet Jeremiah. He is hearing plots against himself and it is clear from his prayer the he takes them seriously and fears for his very life. The psalm supports this feeling, that the faithful are constantly encountering fierce opposition.
Finally, in the Gospel, the passage opens with Jesus stating in clear terms that “the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death”. Even his own disciples, who, being schooled in the Hebrew Scriptures, would have seen this pattern in prophecy, did not understand what was about to happen.
The examples make it clear. Persecution of God’s faithful happened in Jeremiah’s time six hundred years before Christ, and it happened to Jesus as he said it would. He told Zebedee’s sons that they would follow him in death for their faith. We don’t have to be hit over the head too many times to guess that our path, followed faithfully, will be met with significant resistance.
Are we to expect an easier time? Perhaps, we live in a society that is, for the most part, somewhat benign. Benign unless we get too ambitious and try to actually change the hearts of others. If we do that outside the comforting walls of the Church we see quickly the resistance that waits for us. If we try to push in that direction (as Christ encourages us to do) with those steeped in secular values we quickly see that what we do spiritually is only acceptable to them if we keep it out of their view.
As we continue our Lenten journey we reflect upon this call to holiness. We are reminded that it is a difficult path because we must place our own interests behind those of others. We are called to serve our brothers and sisters if we wish to follow the Lord’s example. And, we are told that if we take that service to the world, the world will most likely resent and hate us. Change is always painful.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of the Jerusalem” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1630
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Jeremiah 18:18-20
Today’s scripture comes from that part of Jeremiah referred to as “Oracles in the Days of Jehoiakim” The good king, Josiah, has died and with him the reforms Jeremiah was supporting. Now, in Jeremiah’s time, idolatry is creeping back in and the prophet is becoming unpopular. We hear the forces gathering against him in this reading. We also hear him pray to God that he might be remembered for his faithfulness.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
Psalm 31 is a lament in the face of adversity. Placed here, it could be a continuation of Jeremiah’s prayer from the first reading, asking for protection from those who would persecute.
Gospel Matthew 20:17-28
St. Matthew’s Gospel reading gives us the third and most detailed description of the coming passion. Emphasizing the lack of understanding of this event, James and John have their mother ask Jesus to elevate them to places of honor in his kingdom. The Lord questions the two, asking if they can drink the cup he will drink (accept the fate of martyrdom). When they answer in the affirmative, the Lord almost pronounces their acceptance as a sentence of death.
The squabbling that occurs between the disciples following this exchange prompts the Lord to define Christian leadership again, saying that those who would lead must be servants; they cannot be like the scribes and Pharisees.
Reflection:
The common thread running through scripture today is not a happy one for those of us who claim the call to discipleship in the Lord. First we hear one of God’s great messengers, the Prophet Jeremiah. He is hearing plots against himself and it is clear from his prayer the he takes them seriously and fears for his very life. The psalm supports this feeling, that the faithful are constantly encountering fierce opposition.
Finally, in the Gospel, the passage opens with Jesus stating in clear terms that “the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death”. Even his own disciples, who, being schooled in the Hebrew Scriptures, would have seen this pattern in prophecy, did not understand what was about to happen.
The examples make it clear. Persecution of God’s faithful happened in Jeremiah’s time six hundred years before Christ, and it happened to Jesus as he said it would. He told Zebedee’s sons that they would follow him in death for their faith. We don’t have to be hit over the head too many times to guess that our path, followed faithfully, will be met with significant resistance.
Are we to expect an easier time? Perhaps, we live in a society that is, for the most part, somewhat benign. Benign unless we get too ambitious and try to actually change the hearts of others. If we do that outside the comforting walls of the Church we see quickly the resistance that waits for us. If we try to push in that direction (as Christ encourages us to do) with those steeped in secular values we quickly see that what we do spiritually is only acceptable to them if we keep it out of their view.
As we continue our Lenten journey we reflect upon this call to holiness. We are reminded that it is a difficult path because we must place our own interests behind those of others. We are called to serve our brothers and sisters if we wish to follow the Lord’s example. And, we are told that if we take that service to the world, the world will most likely resent and hate us. Change is always painful.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of the Jerusalem” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1630
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