Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Readings for Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Jeremiah 18:18-20
The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
“Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word.”
Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 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. (17b) Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
You will free me from the snare they set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
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. The psalmist asks for protection from those who would persecute the faithful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 20:17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 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, the mother of James and John asks 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:
In the exchange between the mother of James and John, who was traveling with what must have been a fairly large entourage, we see some of the dynamic that Jesus was dealing with in trying to get those who believed he was the Messiah. Given that the mother of Zebedee’s sons wanted them to be prominent in the Kingdom to be established by Jesus, she could not have understood the nature of his ascendancy. What mother would want her sons to follow the Way of the Cross?
We can speculate that she must have assumed Jesus came as the Royal Messiah; the one who would throw off the Roman yoke and ascend to the throne of Kind David, establishing an earthly kingdom. Jesus immediately attempts to explain the path before him by asking the brothers “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” When they innocently answer; “We can.” We can only imagine the sorrow in Jesus voice as he prophetically saw that they would follow him in their own martyrdoms.
What follows is instructive to us as we walk the Lenten path. The Lord tells the disciples that they must follow his example of leadership. He tells them that if they accept their mission as gift offered by God, they could not assume authority based on their position of leadership but must offer their service humbly, as one who understands and is awed by God’s power; seeking his glory. What servant (slave to God’s mission) would strive for fleeting fame or secular prominence and forfeit their place at the foot of God’s throne?
We need not look far for contrasting examples of leadership in the modern day secular world. A Christian should be easy to spot in almost any environment. In the business world the manager who drives their authority home with demands and threats cannot have understood this message. Even in the most rigorous business environment, servant leadership can achieve exceptional results. In the classroom, the teacher who bullies and seeks to drive learning into the pupils with intimidation and humiliation cannot have understood this teaching. Even in social situations (or perhaps especially in social situations) the one who achieves popularity at the expense of others missed this basic principle of the Christian ethic.
Do the examples provided mean that the people who do not follow Christ’s example and teaching are bad? No they are good people who have not learned the lesson of servant leadership which not only accomplishes what they seek to accomplish but does so in a way pleasing to the Father because it brings him glory in the process.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples” (detail) by Tintoretto, c. 1547
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings for Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Jeremiah 18:18-20
The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
“Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word.”
Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 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. (17b) Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
You will free me from the snare they set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
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. The psalmist asks for protection from those who would persecute the faithful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 20:17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 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, the mother of James and John asks 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:
In the exchange between the mother of James and John, who was traveling with what must have been a fairly large entourage, we see some of the dynamic that Jesus was dealing with in trying to get those who believed he was the Messiah. Given that the mother of Zebedee’s sons wanted them to be prominent in the Kingdom to be established by Jesus, she could not have understood the nature of his ascendancy. What mother would want her sons to follow the Way of the Cross?
We can speculate that she must have assumed Jesus came as the Royal Messiah; the one who would throw off the Roman yoke and ascend to the throne of Kind David, establishing an earthly kingdom. Jesus immediately attempts to explain the path before him by asking the brothers “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” When they innocently answer; “We can.” We can only imagine the sorrow in Jesus voice as he prophetically saw that they would follow him in their own martyrdoms.
What follows is instructive to us as we walk the Lenten path. The Lord tells the disciples that they must follow his example of leadership. He tells them that if they accept their mission as gift offered by God, they could not assume authority based on their position of leadership but must offer their service humbly, as one who understands and is awed by God’s power; seeking his glory. What servant (slave to God’s mission) would strive for fleeting fame or secular prominence and forfeit their place at the foot of God’s throne?
We need not look far for contrasting examples of leadership in the modern day secular world. A Christian should be easy to spot in almost any environment. In the business world the manager who drives their authority home with demands and threats cannot have understood this message. Even in the most rigorous business environment, servant leadership can achieve exceptional results. In the classroom, the teacher who bullies and seeks to drive learning into the pupils with intimidation and humiliation cannot have understood this teaching. Even in social situations (or perhaps especially in social situations) the one who achieves popularity at the expense of others missed this basic principle of the Christian ethic.
Do the examples provided mean that the people who do not follow Christ’s example and teaching are bad? No they are good people who have not learned the lesson of servant leadership which not only accomplishes what they seek to accomplish but does so in a way pleasing to the Father because it brings him glory in the process.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples” (detail) by Tintoretto, c. 1547
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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