Jeremiah 18:18-20 / Matthew 20:17-28
Whenever we think about the Old Testament prophets, we may have this image of a fearless preacher of the Word of God, a rough-cut person dressed in animal skin and leading an ascetic life, much like John the Baptist.
Yet in the 1st reading, we see the very human side of the prophet Jeremiah as he faced his trials and tribulations of being a prophet of God.
Jeremiah was a gentle and peaceful person, but he found himself in trouble for his prophetic words.
Quite unable to handle the persecution, he laments to God.
In all this, we see the very human side of the prophet Jeremiah.
In the gospel, we also saw the very human side of the apostles.
Jesus told them about his impending suffering and death.
And yet, they seem to have other things in mind, other worldly things.
Our human side also succumb to the distractions of the worldly and we too forget about what Jesus came for.
One of the prayer forms for the season of Lent is to take the crucifix and to just hold it in our hands during prayer.
The cross will remind us of why Jesus came and what our hearts should be focused upon.
May the cross of Christ also protect us from evil and give us strength in our trials.