Pain can be an obstacle to long-term vision.
The prophet Jeremiah is in a bad space. Rejected by everyone in sight, having
prophesied for twenty years to no apparent effect, Jeremiah is angry with God: You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be
duped. God had told the prophet that
he would be a wall of brass, but Jeremiah is feeling all too human, broken,
defeated – nothing is working. And yet
what does he discover, even as he spews angry prayers at God? That even when he tries hard not to speak
God’s name, it becomes like fire burning
in my heart, imprisoned in my bones…
For all he tries, Jeremiah cannot reject God, cannot separate himself
from him. Even at the depth of his pain,
Jeremiah’s intimate union with God is not something he can escape – he simply has
to live it, recognizing, as the psalmist does, that God is his help and allowing his flesh to pine for God and his
soul to thirst for him, his voice to praise him (Psalm 63). Jeremiah, in his anger, isn’t there yet – but
God is with him, nonetheless, and will be, forever.
In Matthew's Gospel Sunday, Peter seems to have a similar problem when Jesus informs him
that soon he must go to Jerusalem and
suffer greatly and be killed.
Peter’s response – God forbid,
Lord! – demonstrates that Peter is caught up in the short-term, limited run
of things. Jesus promises salvation,
redemption, but Peter is focused on the imminent pain and suffering; he wants
Jesus there with him, forever -- he doesn't realize, of course, that that is exactly what Jesus has planned...
Like Jeremiah and Peter, we can get caught up in our focus
on self – but faith is not about you, or me, or any individual!
Christ calls us all to commit ourselves in the totality of our person to
God, offering our bodies as a living sacrifice, as Paul tells the Romans,
dedicated to giving praise and conforming to God’s plan, no matter how painful
it might be, remaining open to change, to transformation. Let that fire
burn in your heart, embrace it, and perhaps you will be able to bless the Lord while you live, no matter what kind of obstacles get in the way…
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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