There is something heartwarming about how the Lord works through various personalities. In our first reading, we hear from the prophet Jeremiah, who was born roughly 650 years before the birth of Christ. He was by nature sensitive and emotional. The phrase “he wears his emotions on his sleeve” certainly fits Jeremiah.
And yet, Jeremiah is bold. He is very comfortable relating his feelings to the Lord, even complaining freely. When called, he complained that he was too young and inexperienced in speaking. Some scholars believe the Lord called Jeremiah at age 15 or 16 to be a prophet.
Jeremiah is commonly known as the “weeping prophet.” The Lord called Jeremiah around the year 627 B.C. when the Jewish faith was quite weak. Israel and Judah were divided and both had been in decline economically, culturally, and spiritually for hundreds of years. Jeremiah’s ministry was over 40 years. In general, his message was ignored or rejected.
In our first reading, we hear Jeremiah complain freely to the Lord. He feels deceived by the Lord. “You called me when I was young and inexperienced. I had no idea what I was getting into!” Jeremiah complains, “The word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day.”
Today, if you are faithful to our Lord and His Church – especially around issues of morality – particularly sexual morality in our culture, buckle up! Like Jeremiah, you will be mocked and derided. There is plenty of opportunity to suffer for Jesus today, too!
Your response to criticism is critical. In Acts 5, Peter and the Apostles were brought into the Sanhedrin, questioned, flogged, and ordered to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Luke tells us that they left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name (Acts 5:40-41). They responded with joy and gentleness, which is not always easy!
Jeremiah suffers so badly that he is tempted to quit and do something else. He says, “I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak his name no more.” In other words, like Jonah, he wants to run from God!
But after reflection, he realizes something. There is a fire in his heart that he cannot endure. Holding God’s word inside burns so intensely that he cannot endure it. While God’s word can be deeply challenging, we must love it because it is true.
Jeremiah’s experience is akin to John’s in the Book of Revelation. When John eats the scroll, it is sweet as honey in his mouth but then turns sour in his stomach (Rev. 10:9). Like Jeremiah, he knows that God’s word is sweet but brings personal suffering. While Jeremiah complained, he never gave up.
What eventually happened to Jeremiah and Jerusalem? In 587 B.C., the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, razed the temple, and took the best people into exile. Jeremiah was taken against his will to Egypt where he eventually died around the year 570 B.C.
Forty long years of ministry ended in a disaster for Jeremiah’s people, and the prophet was taken from his land. And yet, Jeremiah’s prophetic words are still read all around the world today. Mother Teresa famously said, “God has called us not to be successful, but to be faithful.”
It is no accident that Jeremiah is compared to Jesus more than any other prophet. The two shared very similar experiences. Both preached against Jerusalem and the temple, both were persecuted by the high priests, both were tried and imprisoned by a sympathetic but weak-willed magistrate, and both descended into the pit – Jeremiah into a muddy cistern and Jesus into the earth where He rose from the dead.
The Church offers us the first reading to remind us that if you are serious about God, about being a disciple of Christ, you will experience suffering and rejection by the world. This should not be surprising. However, what is surprising is that you can have interior peace and joy that the world simply cannot give. May you lean into the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah and be willing to take up your cross and follow our Lord Jesus Christ!
~St. Therese, pray for us!