“But my trust is in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’" (Psalm 31)
Throughout today’s readings we grapple with the eternal theme of God’s loving invitation to us. In the seventh century BC, Jeremiah proclaims the goodness of God, but he also explains the responsibilities that accompany accepting that love. In the first century AD, Jesus firmly asserts that we must be willing to serve with love if we want to be his followers. Then in the seventeenth century AD, Jesuit Father John de Brebeuf spends over 20 years as a missionary proclaiming the love of God to the Hurons in Canada.
God appoints Jeremiah to be prophet among his people—to remind the people that only in a good, wholesome lifestyle can we reap the benefits of our experience of God. Jeremiah does not want to accept this invitation under the guise that he is not a public speaker. However, he relents and preaches to the people. As we hear in today’s first reading, the people do not want to listen to Jeremiah and the ways of God. Consequently, they plan his death at their hands. “Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.”
Jesus tries to explain to his followers that eventually he will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes and be condemned to death. In the middle of this discourse and not understanding Jesus’ meaning of “kingdom,” Mrs. Zebedee requests that her sons be placed next to him in his kingdom. Jesus asks her sons if they can drink of his chalice. They answer affirmatively even though they do not comprehend the suffering involved with drinking from Jesus’ chalice.
Father John de Brebeuf preaches the gospel to the Hurons. In spite of the fierce winters and poor living conditions, he preaches the word of God in terms of love and responsibility. The Hurons listen and live accordingly. However, their enemies, the Iroquois, attack the village and kill de Brebeuf.
So, what do Jeremiah, Jesus, and Father de Brebeuf have in common?
They are all prophets sent by God. In different centuries and cultures throughout history, they have been commissioned to teach and to show by their daily lives that the two great commandments of love are the only way to live. In all three time periods of these prophets, people have a choice. The prophets are sent to the people to invite them to repentance—a repentance of respect for each other (even in disagreements), a repentance of acceptance of another—no matter how different, and a repentance of making amends.
We have often heard that we are asked to follow God’s call in our individual hearts. This call is intertwined in our family life, work world, and faith community. We, too, are commissioned to preach by our words and actions. Like Jeremiah, Jesus, and Father de Brebeuf, we have been given the grace to live this challenge: “But my trust is in you, O Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’”