40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent, 28 February 2024
Jeremiah 18:18-20 <*[[[[>< + + + ><]]]]*> Matthew 20:17-28
Lord God our Father,
your words today are too heavy,
so difficult to grasp
as they seem to be totally
unrelated with each other
until they showed me
a frightening reality -
that Lent is facing rejection,
of hearing our enemies
speak strongly against us.
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.”
Jeremiah 18:18
Like Jeremiah,
so many times
we have cried to you
his very same words,
"Must good be repaid
with evil that they should dig
a pit to take my life?"
(Jeremiah 18:20).
In the gospel today,
the other ten disciples
heard the mother of James
and John asking Jesus
to sit her sons on his right
and his left in his kingdom,
making them "indignant"
of their fellow disciples
baring their selfish plans
before their faces
to supersede them,
to outsmart them.
Many times,
O Lord,
it happens to us,
when before us
those we consider as friends,
as colleagues have motives
of getting ahead of us,
of dominating us,
of ruling over us.
It is painful and sickening
of how people are preoccupied
with themselves
like the enemies of Jeremiah
and the brothers James and John!
Remind us, Jesus,
that we only share
in your grace of being saved,
of being redeemed
as beloved children of the Father;
when we hear harsh,
nasty words against us;
when people are so hard
against us for whatever reasons;
when people compete with us
if there is no competition at all;
when we are face-to-face with rejections,
let us hold on more to you,
Lord; in your kindness, save us!
Help me, Jesus,
to be your faithful servant,
called to serve not to be served;
called to ministry
not to me-nistry of popularity;
most of all,
let me be anchored in your Cross,
of being like you,
obedient to the Father
for his glory.
Amen.
lordmychef.com 