Nói sự thật với người có quyền lực không bao giờ được dễ dàng, và Tiên tri Giêrêmia biết rõ đièu đó. Khi Thiên Chúa ra lệnh cho ông tiên báo những tin không tốt cho những người cầm quyền: khi quốc gia bị nạn tham nhũng hoành hành và làm mất niềm tin ở dân chúng. Chúa mong Họ tỉnh thức và quay trở lại đường lối của Thiên Chúa, Nhưng mọi người đều ưa thích các tiên tri giả vì họ đã tang bốc, ca tụng ho vì the họ chỉ muốn nghe những tốt cho mà thôi! Và họ đã tìm cách chống Tiên tri Giêrêmia và để bịt miệng ngài, nhưng Thiên Chúa đã bảo vệ ngài. Chúng ta không bao giờ nên bị đe dọa vì những lời nói thật của ngưòi khác hoặc những ai bênh vực cho sự thật.
Hai người con của ông Dêbêđê đã theo và sống với Chúa Giêsu khá lâu nhưng họ vẫn không hiểu giáo lý của Ngài. Họ chỉ có thể nghĩ về tới trong quyền năng và vinh quang riêng cho mình, vì vậy họ đã tỏ lòng xin với Chúa quyền lực. "Họ xin cho hai chỗ quan trọng trong Nước Trời, một ở bên phải và một ở bên trái của Ngài”. Chúng ta có thể tưởng tượng nỗi thất vọng và sự bực bội Chúa Giêsu thấy như thế nào khi nghe lời yêu cầu của họ!. Ngài giải thích rằng họ ràng họ sẽ được chia sẽ những đau khổ, việc tử đạo với ngài, nhưng "không có việc làm lớn trong nước Trời."
Chúa Giêsu một lần nữa nhấn mạnh với họ rằng sự vĩ đại thật sự và là người môn đệ thật sự là những người biết sống trong sự khiêm tốn với lòng biết phục vụ và yêu thương. Chúa Giêsu cảnh báo họ là không bao giờ bắt chước những ví dụ về quản trị và các mối quan hệ của con người trong những nền văn hóa hiện tại và xung quanh họ, Bởi vì họ là những người chỉ biết dựa trên sự thống trị và làm chúa người khác hơn là muốn phục vũ những người khác. Và Chúa đã chỉ vào chính mình, và Ngài tuyên bố là: Ngài đã đến không phải để được phục vụ nhưng Ngài đến để phục vụ. Vá chúng ta cũng phải học và làm như Chúa.
Lạy Chúa, Xin cho cuộc sống của chúng con là một cuộc sống biết phục vụ những người khác theo khả năm riêng mà Chúa đã ban cho chúng con với tấm lòng Khiêm Tốn..
Speaking the truth to power is never easy, and Jeremiah knew that well. He was ordered by God to deliver the bad news to those in authority: the nation was corrupt and spiritually sick. They had to return to the ways of God. But people preferred the false prophets who told authorities what they wanted to hear: everything is just fine! A plot was hatched against Jeremiah to silence him, but he was protected by God. We should never be intimidated for speaking the truth or standing up for what is right.
The sons of Zebedee had walked with Jesus so long but they still didn't understand his teachings. They could only think of basking in his power and glory, so they made a ‘power move.’ They asked for the two choice seats in his kingdom, one at his right and the other at his left. Just imagine how disappointed and frustrated Jesus must have felt when he heard their request. He explained that they would have to share his suffering and martyrdom, and they agreed, implying that it was ‘no big deal.’ Rash words! Jesus again insisted that true greatness and true discipleship was all about humility and loving service. He warned them not to copy the examples of governance and human relationships in the culture around them. They were all based on domination and lording it over others. He pointed to himself, declaring that he had come not to be served but to serve. It can be no less for all of us. Lord, may my life be one of humble service.
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.” Matthew 20:17–19
What a conversation that must have been! As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem with the Twelve just prior to the first Holy Week, Jesus spoke openly and clearly about what would be waiting for Him in Jerusalem. Imagine what the disciples would have thought. In many ways, it would have been too much for them to comprehend at the time. In many ways, the disciples probably preferred not to hear what Jesus had to say. But Jesus knew they needed to hear this difficult truth, especially as the moment of the Crucifixion drew near.
Oftentimes, the full message of the Gospel is difficult for us to accept. This is because the full message of the Gospel will always centrally point us to the sacrifice of the Cross. Sacrificial love and the full embrace of the Cross needs to be seen, understood, loved, fully embraced and confidently proclaimed. But how is this done? Let’s start with our Lord Himself.
Jesus was not afraid of the truth. He knew that His suffering and death was imminent, and He was ready and willing to accept this truth without hesitation. He didn’t see His Cross in a negative light. He did not look at it as a tragedy to be avoided. He didn’t allow fear to deter Him. Instead, Jesus looked at His imminent sufferings in the light of truth. He saw His suffering and death as a glorious act of love that He was soon to offer, and, therefore, He was not afraid to not only embrace these sufferings but also to speak of them with confidence and courage.
In our own lives, we are given the invitation to imitate Jesus’ courage and love every time we must face something difficult in life. When this happens, some of the most common temptations are to be angry about the difficulty, or to look for ways to avoid it, or to blame others, or to give into despair and the like. There are numerous coping mechanisms that kick in by which we tend to try and avoid the crosses that await us.
But what if we followed the example of our Lord instead? What if we faced any and every pending cross with love, courage and a willing embrace? What if instead of looking for a way out, we looked for a way in, so to speak? That is, we looked for a way to embrace our suffering in a sacrificial way, without hesitancy, in imitation of Jesus’ embrace of His cross. Every cross in life has the potential of becoming an instrument of much grace in our own lives and in the lives of others. Therefore, from the perspective of grace and eternity, crosses must be embraced, not avoided or cursed.
Reflect, today, upon any difficulty you are facing. Do you see it in the same way that Jesus sees it? Can you see every cross you are given as an opportunity for sacrificial love? Are you able to embrace it with hope and confidence, knowing that God can bring good out of it? Seek to imitate our Lord by joyfully embracing the difficulties you face and those crosses will ultimately share in the Resurrection with our Lord.
My suffering Lord, You freely embraced the injustice of the Cross with love and courage. You saw beyond the apparent scandal and suffering and transformed the evil done to You into the greatest act of love ever known. Give me the grace to imitate Your perfect love and to do so with the strength and confidence that You had. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, today I grapple with the weight of the cross. How it drags me down! Tell me once again–impress upon me more deeply–the truth of the Paschal law: one must die in order to have life. O God, give me resurrected life. You who did not spare your own Son, will you also not give me all the graces I ask for?
2. We Can: Two brothers sought a special grace, a particular honor—to sit at Jesus’s right and at his left. They were bursting with enthusiasm–these “sons of thunder”–with high aspirations for life, and hearts full of loyalty. They asked Jesus for something good, and they asked together. They spoke but once in the whole passage, with a full-throated “We can!” Yet, what was in the cup that the brothers were invited to drink? Water, or wine, or…vinegar? The cup was Christ’s passion. They would have to suffer not only individually but as brothers, as mutual friends of Jesus, as the Church.
3. He Will Be Raised: “He will be raised on the third day.” The Son of Man will indeed rise from the dead after his sufferings—liturgically speaking, when the forty days of Lent have ended. Never forget Easter Sunday, even when it feels like Good Friday. Jesus underwent his Passion because he was passionate about us. He rose because death could no longer hold him. In the very act of his death, Jesus showed us that love means giving our life for others. When our personal sacrifice seems to lead to death we can be confident that Christ will raise us one day.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, give me the courage to reply “I can” whenever I am presented with the cross in my life. With you, Lord Jesus, all things are possible. I can even accept the cross with you because I know it leads to life.
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, open my heart to your Spirit in this time of prayer. I believe that you are here and that you have something to say to me.
1. Jesus’ Personal Conversation with the Twelve: Today’s Gospel passage reminds us of Sunday’s Gospel reading, the Transfiguration of the Lord, which would have taken place shortly after the events recounted in today’s Gospel. Jesus had much on his heart as his Passion drew closer. He wanted to prepare his closest friends, knowing it would come as a shock to them. And perhaps he wanted, simply, to share his suffering from his heart, too. He was about to accomplish the redemption of the world. He was about to suffer and be abandoned. Who, with these events impending, would not want to take his or her closest friends aside and share it with them? Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, did so, yet how little they understood.
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