Wednesday March 3

SECOND WEEK OF LENT

 

Suffering of the Prophet 

 

Introduction

A prophet is always an annoying person. His mission is to call attention to the signs of the times – to denounce what no one dares denounce, to prod into action when all stand still and like to take it easy. His task is unpleasant and he carries it out reluctantly. For he is a scared man. He pleads to be excused. For he always gets into trouble. He may even be killed. That was the lot of the prophets before him and then Jesus’ lot – but through his death he won glory and brought life. Those who follow him, however timid they may be as prophets, have to share in this suffering-toward-life. They must at least learn to serve; even dedicated service brings often suffering.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
your prophets remind us
in season and out of season
of our responsibilities toward you
and toward the world of people.
When they disturb and upset us,
let it be a holy disturbance
that makes us restless, eager to do your will
and to bring justice and love around us.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

 

Reading 1: Jer18:18-20

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.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 31:5-6, 14, 15-16

(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.

 

Verse before the Gospel: Jn 8:12

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.

 

Gospel: Mt 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.”

 

Intercessions

• For the Church, that it may imitate the Lord Jesus and be a serving Church, we pray:
• For prophets who remind us that we have to live up to our faith, that we may listen to them, we pray:
• For all of us, that as followers of a suffering Lord, we may grow as Christians and as human beings by the way we carry our crosses, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God,
your Son comes among us and asks us:
“Can you drink my cup with me?”
Give us the strength
to accept any suffering with him
for the sake of your kingdom,
for we know it is the signature
on the life of the true disciple.
May it be a suffering that brings life
to us and to our brothers and sisters.
This is the offering we make to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son went his journey to the cross
knowing what awaited him,
but also knowing that his suffering and death
would mean life and joy for many.
Give us a bit of his courage, Lord,
that we may not be escapists in life,
but that we may speak out and act
when your kingdom is at stake
or when we are asked to serve.
Let your Son be with us,
now and for ever.

 

Blessing

“The Son of man came not to be served but to serve.” How do we follow our Lord as people who know how to serve? May almighty God give you insight and strength, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Jesus is striding ahead towards Jerusalem. He knows for certain what awaits him in Jerusalem and has already spoken to his disciples about his impending torture, suffering and death. It is a profound teaching about suffering. When we try to avoid sufferings at all costs, we will spend a lifetime running, but it will catch up with us anyway; then we will be the unwilling victims of sufferings. But when we choose to face the sufferings of our life head on, sustained by the example and the grace of Christ, we become heroes of faith.

The disciples are bent on becoming heroes in the Kingdom of Jesus. The desire of James and John to have important positions ahead of the rest of the 10 under the reign of Jesus was not well received by the 10. There was a potential threat of division among them. Jesus grabs the opportunity to give a powerful teaching on humility.
You want to be great?” says Jesus, “Then change your attitude:
o Quit thinking about how much status you have over other people.
o Quit thinking about how much more intelligence or academic degrees you have over others.
o Quit thinking in terms of how much ability you have to manipulate and control outcomes.
o Quit thinking how high a position you hold in relation to others and how many people you can command from that position.
o It doesn’t matter who your Daddy is, or how long you’ve been a member of the church or even how much better you could lead than the men in current leadership.”
o Without love and a heart to serve, those things are all worth nothing. (cf. 1 Cor. 13)
• We see this principle illustrated in lives of the apostles later on:
The otherwise destructive energy behind the urge to be greater was to be channelled into relationships of service. Their motivation would be drawn from the example of Jesus, whom they loved and whom they chose to follow.