Jeremiah 20:7-9,
Psalm 63:2.3-4.5-6.8—9,
Romans 12:1-2,
Matthew 16:21-27 Full Readings
Seduced By God
Today's readings tell us about being seduced by God, which requires giving up our bodies for the service of God and the kingdom and being ready for persecution for the sake of the kingdom.
In the first reading, we see Jeremiah telling God that He has seduced him, but his seduction has led him to suffer and become rejected even to the extent that Jeremiah wished not to talk in His name anymore. However, Jeremiah could not bear the effort which pushed him to restrain speaking in the name of God. When you are seduced by God, the power of God always moves you even if you feel not like continuing, God will always move you and give you strength to move on.
We can wonder why God let's those who follow Him and give up everything for His sake, to suffer and go through threatening moments. Even, when St Teresa of Avila fell off her horse into a cold river, her comment was, _‘Lord, if that is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them.’_ But as we see in the Gospel, Jesus tells whoever wants to follow Him should deny himself and take up the cross and follow Him. The cross of Jesus on one hand is following his commandments and on the other hand to be ready to face persecution, challenges and rejection as he himself did. The good news is that we don't suffer in vain, we become victorious and earn eternal life just as Jesus conquered Satan and death by his suffering and death.
Understanding what entails following Jesus and being seduced by God will make us pass through anything that comes on our way to serve God. Jesus in the Gospel rebukes Peter and tells him, 'Get behind me Satan because Peter did not understand what entails following Jesus. He was thinking in human terms. Firstly, Peter could not imagine the suffering Messiah who would even die in the hands of the chief priests and elders because the traditional understanding of the Messiah was that he was to become a political King who would rule over Israel. Secondly, Peter could not imagine that following a person like Jesus, Son of God whom he had confessed earlier, entails suffering, but he would think of only a good life. That's why he tries to stop Jesus from talking about persecution and suffering. Jesus calls him Satan because Satan is the only one which tries to get into the way of the kingdom of God.
St Paul in the second reading encourages us that when we are seduced by God, we should offer our bodies as living sacrifice truly pleasing to God and as well as living as Christians for it is the perfect thing to do. Paul stresses that the motivation comes from within: it is a matter no longer of the external compulsion of the Law, but of inner compulsion, for the Christian has become a living sacrifice, dedicated to God with minds transformed, discerning personally the will of God and acting upon this discernment. This is Christian personal responsibility: we must ‘discern for ourselves what is the will of God’ and give up our lives for doing His will.
Reflect today on how you feel that God has seduced you in your life. Are you ready to take up your cross and follow Jesus whatever the circumstances may be. Pray for the Holy Spirit to always help you discover God's will in your life and do it with all zeal.
Let us pray.
Oh God you have seduced me and speaking in your name is always my delight. Help me to always discover you will and do it in my life. Amen
Be blessed
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