First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-9
Reflection:
This first reading can sound very perplexing and discouraging at first glance. Why would the prophet Jeremiah believe the Lord has “duped” him? In order to understand this reading, we must take it in context. First, this lament of Jeremiah comes at a rough time in his prophetic ministry. He has just been scourged and put in stocks for a day as a result of speaking on behalf of the Lord to the people. He understandably, therefore, feels discouraged and frustrated by his situation, believing everyone is against him. Thus, he cries out to God in anguish, asking why? He feels like giving up because his work is very difficult. Yet, even in the midst of wanting to ‘throw in the towel,’ Jeremiah still admits that the word of the Lord is “like fire burning in [his] heart.” It is part of him and he knows that this is his calling. Although he feels abandoned and like it is not worth going on, Jeremiah still knows God is with him and will be faithful to him. In fact, if we were to read on, Jeremiah says a couple verses later, “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion … Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord.” Jeremiah honestly expresses his frustration to God but then confidently puts his faith in God, knowing that His plans are best. We can learn from this passage to also be honest with God. We don’t need to hide from Him when we are struggling, but can pour out the depths of our heart. In the midst of whatever suffering we may be facing, we can still trust that God has a plan and know that He is with us through the storm. In light of the cross of Christ, which we will hear about in the Gospel reading, suffering can have purpose and result in a greater, redemptive good.
Second Reading: Romans 12:1-2
Reflection:
This beautiful passage from the Apostle Paul calls us to offer our entire lives to God. To be a “living sacrifice” means to die to ourselves and live for God. But what does that look like? God calls us to offer him our whole selves. As the Greatest Commandment says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). In other words, love God with everything. This means that we are called to not hold back any part of our lives from God. We should invite Him into everything we do and then offer what we are doing back to him. We worship God by surrendering our lives daily to Him. This also involves living according to His teachings and allowing His truth to transform and renew our minds. We should not just ‘go with the flow’ of society. Jesus Christ calls us to a different path than the world is taking. We are to be set apart people, allowing Christ to transform us and seeking to follow His path. Ultimately, we are called to follow God’s will, surrendering our wills to His, which is always best.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 16:21-27
Reflection:
This passage functions as a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. Last week we heard Jesus’ identity as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” proclaimed by Peter, and then Peter’s identity as the “rock” upon which Christ will build His Church was proclaimed by Jesus. If that was a high point for Peter, this is a low point. Here Jesus begins to reveal to His disciples that He will suffer and die in Jerusalem. Understandably, Peter (and probably the others) are opposed to this thought. How could “the Christ [i.e. Messiah], the Son of the living God” suffer and die? This idea was counter to their perceptions about the Messiah. But here we see that Jesus’ death and resurrection are essential to His ministry. In fact, this is primarily why Jesus came. His shocking response of calling Peter “Satan” evidences that Jesus will not allow anything or anyone to get in the way of His mission to fulfill the will of the Father for Him to suffer, die, and rise again.
Peter does not see the redemptive nature of the coming suffering of Jesus. He only sees it from a human perspective–namely, that to suffer and die would mean defeat for Jesus. But, of course, Jesus is actually the one who overcomes sin and death through His resurrection. And He invites us into that reality. Jesus, in fact, calls us to “take up [our] cross, and follow [him].” In other words, we must die to ourselves and live for Him, offering everything we are to Christ. For if we give Him our entire lives, then we will truly live, but if we try to cling to our lives, holding too tightly onto what we cannot keep anyway, then we will lose our lives. This raises the question, what (or who) are we living for? Are we living for ourselves to try to get what we want or are we living for Christ and seeking to do His will? In the end, the things of this world will not matter, but what will matter is whether or not we served the Lord. For “what profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”
Application:
- Do you sometimes feel abandoned and discouraged like Jeremiah did? It’s okay to express your feelings to God, as he did. And in the midst of suffering, you can still know that God is with you, He loves you, and He knows what is best for you. Thus, you can praise and thank him in it.
- What are you holding onto too tightly in life? Are there areas of your life that you have tried to keep from God? Take time in prayer this week to surrender those to God, inviting Him in.
