Today’s first reading tells us of the well known pattern of plotting against the prophets of God. The voice of God could be overruled when the leadership is misled by people who have hidden agendas. They wanted to destroy Jeremiah who acted on the instructions of God. Prejudice and judgment lead us to aggression and violence. We easily fall into this trap in our communities. The rulers and elders could not recognize Jeremiah’s words as the voice of God. They displayed their ignorance and led themselves into destruction. In the Gospel Proclamation the conflict within us is further elaborated. Jesus continued to speak of his death and resurrection and without understanding what he explained, the apostles were all out to establish themselves in the worldly realm. Our competitive attitudes need to be transformed and we should enter to an authentic inner journey. Suffering is part and parcel of God’s plan for us. Suffering becomes joyful when we say “yes, we will drink from the same cup”.

Prayer: Abba Father, grant me the grace to live in the heavenly realm by saying “Let your perfect will be done in my life”. Amen.