Inconvenient truth-tellers

The people want religion without substance. They want nice words that make them feel good about themselves.

What they do not want to hear is truth that challenges.

And so they will take advantage of any opportunity to destroy God’s truth-tellers.

So it was in the time of today’s first reading (Jeremiah 18:18-20) and so it is today.

The people of Jeremiah’s time thought that they could enjoy the benefits of the faith even as they sought to destroy the boldest proclaimer of the faith.

And so, they kept Jeremiah under surveillance, looking for anything that they might use against him.

So it is also today.

Destroying the truth-tellers, of course, does not make the truth go away, and the more that people resist the truth, the greater the danger.

You and I must always keep ourselves open and faithful to the truth of Christ, especially when that truth is challenging or inconvenient to us.

We should also stand up for those who speak the truth of Christ in today’s world, even though the world and even those we think our friends may turn against us.

But also like the prophet Jeremiah, may we continue to pray for those opposed to the truth and those who may wish us ill.

It may not be comfortable, but comfort is not the most important thing in life.

We need to follow the example of Jeremiah and, most of all, the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, especially in the example he lays before us in today’s Gospel (Matthew 20:17-28):

The Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.