Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
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First Published: Friday, March 31, 2006

Servants Song

Reflection:

What leaked out yesterday has become a stream today. In the Gospel from John on Friday, we heard the first echoes of the coming passion of Christ. Today we hear it again in a resounding way. First we here Jeremiah speaking of the plot against him, letting us know that this is not the first time God's people have not wanted to hear what the Lord needed them to hear. We also hear of God's faithfulness to Jeremiah, how God's messenger trusts the Lord to take care of these obstacles.

The Psalmist translates the prophet's call into a song, full of hope and trust in God. As is usual this common call puts us in the place of Jeremiah. In our lives there are always pitfalls along the way. Sometimes they are of our own making, sometimes placed there by others. In some cases, in spite or our constant prayer; "deliver us from temptation." we fall into those snares and need the Psalmist's assurances; "O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me," (Ps 72:2)

It seems funny but up until just now I had never noticed the Jesus sings that same song. Yesterday in John's Gospel his song sung for the first time. (He sings it again in the Garden) But always his song ends with the realization that it is the path he must follow.

The Gospel today shows how the plot against Jesus thickens. The Scribes and the Pharisees are very upset because the genuine voice of God is hard to disguise and it was not saying what they needed it to say.

If this were an adventure novel, right now we, the readers, would be saying to Jesus; "Look out, it's a trap! Don't go there (to Jerusalem) where they can get you. Run – go back to Galilee were it's safe for you." But as we know, he sees this trap and knows the fate that awaits him and because of his great love for us – he walks knowingly in.

This is our great example of what the Lord tells us about love for one another. Never does he express hate or even anger about the people who plot his arrest and death. How can he, for they are his creation as well. But we must see him in those who plot against us, we, like him must trust in the Lord to give us strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and peace in all we do. Pax

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I did not have time to put in the JBC peace today. I am supposed to try to give a talk on the history of the Church tonight in one to two hours. If I had several days I could do it without much preparation, but to get it that short… ("Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat! [Bullwinkle, 1963])