So, I was in the chapel on Central Michigan University's (CMU) campus during midterms week. By the way, I had 5 exams, so I was slightly stressed. I looked at Jesus and was like, "Um, can You say something to me? I like hearing You talk." The Holy Spirit said, "Well, open up today's readings. The Scripture is the Word after all." I pulled out my iPhone and with a really nifty app called iBreivary, I found the daily Mass readings for Wednesday of the Second week of Lent. My app always gives a one-sentence summary of each reading. I saw that that day's first reading was from Jeremiah (18:18-20). The summary was, "Come, let us persecute him." I looked up at Jesus. "Not again! This whole Lent, all of the readings have been so mean and hard!" I kept reading. The whole First Reading and the Responsorial Psalm were all about being trapped by one's enemies. I then always hope that the Gospel Reading will give me the warm and fuzzies. I like hearing nice things like "I am the Light of the World" (John 8:12) and "today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). Nope. In that day's Gospel (which was Matthew 20:17-28), Jesus says to His disciples that He is going to suffer, die, and be raised. Then, this lady named Salome asks Jesus for a favor. Salome asks Jesus for her sons to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in Heaven. Jesus probably does an inward face-palm. "You do not know what you are asking," He says. "If you really want to be first in Heaven, then you must become the slave" (I'm paraphrasing). "Where are the warm and fuzzies?" I wonder. Can't we skip Lent and get right to Easter? Eternal life sounds real nice. It is true, a large amount of the readings during Lent are really hard--they don't tend to make me feel relaxed and like I'm living forever in bliss. Instead, they make me want to ignore that reading and just open up John 14 where Jesus is saying, "comfort, comfort, comfort...." (again...major paraphrase!) I've been really thinking about this lately. Jesus says really hard stuff. Stuff that makes me uncomfortable and uneasy. And I tend to ignore it. But if I ignore the hard sayings, then I am ignoring a huge part of Jesus! I don't want to focus on one side of Jesus--like the resurrection side. It is awesome, but really, the Gospels take up more time leading up to the part where Jesus dies instead of the aftermath. That is because we are in the dying stage right now on earth. We die to ourselves so that we may live anew in Christ. Besides, there is no resurrection without the life and death! Uh...and in between that...passion and crucifixion... So, I want to see all aspects and corners of Jesus. The parts that make me ecstatic with joy along with the parts that are terrifying. Jesus is authentic. He doesn't always give me what I want to hear. He tells me to eat His Body and drink His Blood (See John 6). He tells me that He has come to bring division on earth and not peace (See Luke 12). He tells me that I have to deny myself to follow Him (See every Gospel). Though these are not the words I want to hear, these are the words of eternal life! Halfway through Lent, people! Join me in embracing the hard sayings of Jesus along with the cross. We know where these things will lead us to! Death! And then eternal life!
1 Comment
BanJoe
3/10/2018 04:57:34 am
I am right there with you, daughter. Going right to eternal life sounds good........but it will be so much sweeter when we have run the race well and finished.
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AuthorJacqueline St. Clare: I spent six months in a cloistered convent, and now I'm a college student! Archives
April 2021
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