2nd Wednesday in Lent
Jer 18: 18 – 20; Ps 31; Matthew 20: 17 – 28
St. Luke recounts that Jesus advanced in wisdom, age and grace in His sacred humanity, surely the mystery of the Incarnation that we will never comprehend. Jesus, as an observant Jew, attended the synagogue in Nazareth and heard the reading from Jeremiah that we just heard. As He listened to that passage over the years, did He grow in wisdom as to His own destiny? If He did, did He share this awareness with Mary and Joseph who heard from Simeon that He would be a sign of contradiction? This we will never know.
But we do know that Jesus clearly expressed His awareness of being handed over, condemned, mocked, scourged and crucified and even being raised on the third day to the Twelve. Their response? – none is given in today’s Gospel – nothing – as if He has said nothing of importance. He could have been talking of the weather.
However, there was a request by the mother of Zebedee’s sons and it completely ignored Jesus’ personal and distressing revelation – she changed the topic to her desires and those of her sons, much to the dismay of the other ten. But Jesus, being the Master Teacher, still used the occasion to teach about what true service means, nothing less than giving one’s life.
As we progress through this Lent, the readings at Mass will become more pointed about Jesus’ passion and death. As we listen to these sacred readings, do we seek to have the Lord draw us more and more into His redeeming death and its meaning for our lives. Or do you/I change the topic lest it demand too much of our resolve or challenge our convenient life of faith?
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