Today's Thoughts...

Today’s Thoughts: Our readings today, start with the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. Like most prophets Jeremiah is a reluctant prophet, he really did not want the job and his opening words today tell us how he feels. “You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped.” If that doesn’t say it all I don’t know what does. Have you ever felt like Jeremiah?
 
I remember when my novitiate class was working on the readings for our first profession mass. One of the readings suggested was our first reading from Jeremiah today. We laughed. Had God duped us by calling us to religious life? Well, to tell you the truth at times over the last 35 years I have thought that I was duped by God. I think we all feel that way when life gets difficult.
 
The job of a prophet was not an easy one. The prophet was not a fortune teller, but a spokesperson for God. The prophet invited the people into a relationship with God by asking for and sometimes demanding faithfulness.
 
A prophet was not just about words. The prophet was about action, the action of his or her faithfulness to God. In the words often heard these days, the prophet not only “talked the talk” but also had to “walk the walk”.  A true prophet witnessed God’s vision for humankind especially to the leadership of the faith community. This was not easy task and often ended in death for the prophet. Why, because nobody likes to hear that what they see as important is wrong, especially those who think they have the power.
 
Jesus along with being God’s Son was also a prophet. He speaks to us about his fate as a prophet in today’s Gospel. Jesus challenges Peter today, because Peter wants to sugarcoat the message. Peter, like Jeremiah, like all of us, would rather that prophetic message be about joy and gratefulness.
 
Jesus knows that to be faithful to the Father, to the message, to the prophetic vocation and call, he must take up the cross and we are invited to do the same. Jesus has to lose his life. We to must lose our life to find it. Are we being duped?
 
Absolutely not! No, we are called to be a faithful prophet. At the end of the Eucharist we are asked to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” or “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your lives.” By announcing the Gospel and glorifying God in the living of our lives we are to be the Jeremiahs, the Isaiahs, the Esthers, the Judiths of our time. We are saying we are willing to lose our lives in order to find them.
 
Have a great Sunday everyone and don’t forget to give God a little time today!