From Jeremiah 18: "Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah. It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests, nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.” Jeremiah never wanted to be a prophet, and it turns out the people didn’t want him to be one either. Why? Because his words made them uncomfortable. He told the truth and they did not want to hear it. So, their solution was to get rid of him. The people said, we’ll still have the priests, whose sermons tell us how good we are; we’ll still have the wise persons, who reminds us we’re on the right path; we’ll still have the prophets, who tell us everything will be okay. Sometimes, however, God’s clearest words are the very ones that make us uncomfortable, words that make us squirm in our seats. Sometimes it’s God who is not the consoler, but the vineyard owner who is pruning, the shepherd who is seizing us and bringing us back, the deliverer whose strong words dispel evil, the parable-teller whose lesson is for me! Lent may be the occasion to ask what parts of God’s Word, and what parts of the Church’s doctrine, do I just want to ignore or make go away because it makes me uncomfortable and makes me squirm. Do I just want the priests, the wise ones, and the prophets to tell me that everything is fine and that I’m a great person? Do I pick and choose what I will apply in my life? Do I just want Jeremiah to go away?

March 7, 2012

Msgr. William J. King