SEDUCED BY CHRIST AND SUBMISSIVE TO HIS WILL

In the words of Celine Dion, “Have you ever been in love?” or in the words of Brandy, “Have you ever loved somebody so much it makes you cry?” There are some persons, carried away by their emotions at the start of their journey to marital life. They were engrossed by their emotions that nothing else matters to them, except their partners. With time and event revealing things to them, they become so bitter in marriage because their experience is different from their expectations and it has led them to uncontrollable tears. This is what the liturgy of today communicates to us, how the prophet Jeremiah was seduced by God into a relationship with Him, and he submitted himself to the will of God. Christ in the Gospel calls us to reflect on the cost of responding to this seductive nature of God as we respond to His will and St. Paul in the second reading exposes to us the necessary sacrifice we make when we fall in love.

In the first reading, we hear the words of the prophet Jeremiah saying, “O Lord you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed.” In other translation, the Jerusalem Bible, it says, “You have seduced me Lord, and I have allowed myself to be seduced…” (Jer. 20:7). Could this be an expression of love or lament? Jeremiah seems to be saying that he has understood his relationship with God as related to a marriage bond but now claimed he has been deceived and enticed by God just as some persons will claim that their spouse enticed them with certain things into marriage. At this point, I believe the married ones will remember some of their earlier experiences.

Without doubt, at the beginning, Jeremiah never wanted this relationship with God, even when he was called, he resisted the call of God by giving some excuses saying “…I do not know how to speak, for I am only a little boy, but the Lord commissioned him to speak whatever He commands…” (Jer. 1:4-10). Importantly, Jeremiah submitted himself to the will of God, despite the fact it did not please him, and that is why most often, we see Jeremiah as an outspoken prophet, outwardly, he was firm, unyielding prophet of the Lord, conveying faithfully the divine will to his people. But when alone with God, he expressed his doubts, his pains and fears on whether to give up or not. He had to bear a painful price to remain a faithful messenger of God. Among his pains, we hear him say, “I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me” (Jer. 20:7). Can we relate to the struggle of Jeremiah of staying faithful to our purpose in the face of adversity?

When you go out with your spouse or partner, people admire you and the showcase of your love, but deep within, you and God know the cross you are carrying at home, and the number of times you have thought of giving up, and the battles you are fighting but find it difficult to share. You’ve said to yourself like Jeremiah, “I will not mention him, or speak anymore of his name” (v.9), you have said, you are not going to call or have anything to do with him or her anymore, but the thought of your partner has filled your heart like a burning fire you cannot extinguish. This was the experience of Jeremiah’s uncontrollable urge to share God’s word, even when mocked. He can’t hold it; it is a fire in his heart. This experience prefigures that of Christ, who will later endure similar pain and humiliation. Is an experience that expresses the cost of being a messenger of God; the cost of discipleship, which Christ expressed in the gospel.

In today’s gospel, a continuation of last Sunday where Christ demands to hear from his disciples on “Who do people say that the Son of man is and their individual knowledge of Him.” Even with the response of Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, yet he had no full knowledge of what he had said. He did not understand the mission of Christ as the Messiah. Like the Jewish people, he had a notion of a messiah that will come in royalty, glory and majesty. As in the case of the transfiguration event, he was eager to participate in these aspects of the messiah but not the suffering part. Christ had to correct the notion of the Apostles of his mission that, like Jeremiah, “The Messiah has to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Mt. 16:21). Peter wanted the crown but not the cross that is why he took Christ aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (v. 22).

He had the decency to take Christ aside so that his rebuke is private rather than public. He must have felt Christ was having a bad day and needed help or probably felt He was on ‘colos’ and needed to help him get his senses right. He addressed Jesus as ‘Lord’ but treats him as a fallen lord who must be helped to his feet by rebuking Jesus not to choose the way of the cross. However, Christ wanted him and his followers to know the cost of being his disciples, so that none will be able to say they were seduced or deceived into Christianity as in the case of Jeremiah.

Many Christians today do not want to hear about sufferings, pains or sorrows. All they want is “prosperity gospel.” Today, Christ wants us to understand the meaning of suffering, and he wants us to understand the meaning of the cross that is why he said to Peter after rebuking him, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (v. 24) There is no glory or crown without a cross. So, we should not run away from cross like Peter did repeatedly, even on Christ way to Calvary, but embrace it as Christ urges with the new meaning he has given to it as a means to salvation. The moment we accept our crosses, we accept to be true Christians, by carrying it with love, which makes the cross light.

In view of the above St. Paul appeal to us in the second reading to learn from Christ as we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, not to conform to the world but to respond to the call of God with total submission to His will without resistance nor reservation. Then will the beautiful hymn “All to Jesus I surrender…” make meaning to us.

In a nutshell, the moment we begin to change our perception of the crosses we carry as Christians, the deeper will be our understanding of righteousness and of the glory of the Lord. When Jeremiah and Peter thought of avoiding suffering, pains and persecution, Christ on the other hand encourages us not to run away from it, but rather unite all these with him in prayers and we shall have the crown of glory. We are encouraged to let God seduce us and establish a perfect relationship with Him. The best person to fall in love with is God. With Him, there is no disappointment nor betrayal. It is our prayer that our souls will thirst for the Lord our God through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ