Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Jeremiah in the first reading is the image of Christ, who in the Gospel predicts his death. Jeremiah tells us we live in a word of sin that causes tension, even sometimes to the point of suffering.
We know the formula: “Pick up your cross and follow Jesus.” We do not know when we will be called follow him or how, but we are assured that when and if that time comes, we will be coached by the Holy Spirit and that Jesus will be at our side.
Lent is the time when we learn this lesson. It is when we follow Jesus to Jerusalem. Lent makes no sense apart from that. But it leads to Easter that is why it is a season of joy. It is the time when we participate in the victory of Jesus in his ressurection. Let us remember that as we witness the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in the Islamic world and as we participate in the Eucharist.