March 4, 2026
Wednesday of the Second Week
of Lent
Lectionary: 232
Reading
1
The people of
Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
"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.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word."
Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them.
Responsorial
Psalm
R. (17b) Save
me, O Lord, in your kindness.
You will free me from the snare they set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
Verse
Before the Gospel
I am the light of
the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
Gospel
As Jesus was going
up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day."
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, "What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030426.cfm
Commentary on Jeremiah 18:18-20
Today’s readings
continue in a slightly different direction from that of yesterday: the need for
someone who is a servant to not expect a reward. Right behavior means doing the
right things in the right way because they are right, and not for glory,
honour, praise or reward.
There are plots
against the prophet Jeremiah. People find his teaching uncomfortable and they
want to get rid of him. He is seen as a trouble-maker. In the eyes of his critics,
getting rid of Jeremiah will make their own lives easier. Without him around to
pronounce harsh truths, the work of the priests, sages and other prophets can
go on just as before. Their words are so bland and harmless, and lull people
into complacency as they have always done.
But Jeremiah is
puzzled. Referring to the attacks being made on him when he passes on God’s
word to the people, he asks:
Is evil a
recompense for good?
It is a question
that is often asked: “How could God allow this to happen to such a good
person?” He had pleaded with God on the people’s behalf and this is the reward
he gets.
We will see in
today’s Gospel that those plotting against Jesus do not treat him any
differently. We should not be surprised either if, as Christians, we meet with
ridicule and rejection. The world is not ready to hear words of truth and
justice. It does not like the true prophet who has the tendency to draw
people’s attention to the things they don’t want to hear. Jesus had that
annoying habit too.
But let us also
consider whether people’s indifference to our message and way of life is
because of its blandness, like salt without taste. If so, then we deserve to be
ignored.
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Commentary on Matthew 20:17-28
In the Gospel,
Jesus takes his disciples aside to let them know what is going to happen to
him. This is, in fact, the third time he has told them of this, and it is the
most detailed of the Passion predictions. For the first time, mention is made
of being handed over to the Gentiles. The text follows Mark very closely,
except where Mark says that Jesus will be killed, Matthew explicitly says
“crucified”.
The reactions of
the disciples are not recorded here, but we know that on previous occasions
they were both shocked and saddened. They were also perplexed. How could people
do this to the Messiah for whom they had waited so long? How could their own
leaders do this to the Messiah? Even worse, how could they hand him over into
the hands of the hated Romans? They did not yet understand that, or even how,
Jesus would enter into his glory through rejection, suffering and death.
In fact, they have
still a lot to learn, as what follows clearly indicates. The mother of James
and John approaches Jesus with a request, a typical mother’s request. In Mark’s
Gospel, it is the boys themselves who ask the favour. Why Matthew has the
mother asking is not clear. There could be an allusion here to Bathsheba, wife
of King David, seeking the kingdom for her son Solomon. Another possibility is
that Matthew is more deferential to the disciples than Mark, who regularly
shows up their failure to understand the meaning of Jesus’ teaching.
Jesus asks her:
What do you
want?
If Jesus asked me
that question right now, what answer would I give? The mother of James and John
asks that her two sons be on Jesus’ right and left in the kingdom. ‘Kingdom’
here is to be taken in the sense in which Jesus normally uses it, that is, the
Kingdom of God on earth rather than referring to Jesus in glory. The two
disciples envision Jesus as Messiah, King of his people and with a court like
every other earthly king.
The mother uses
her contact with a person in authority to press for some short-cut privileges
for her sons. Understandable indeed, but not the way that God or Jesus works.
Jesus then asks
the two disciples:
Are you able to
drink the cup that I am about to drink?
“We are able” they
say with confidence. They are ready to do anything to get the top spots with
the Messiah. They have forgotten the words that, unless we carry our cross
after Jesus, we cannot be his followers. And yes, they would “drink the cup” of
pain and sorrow and suffering, but that is not what they are thinking about
now.
In any case, the
places at the right and left of Jesus are not privileges given to the first
people who just ask. Jesus works by quite other standards. And besides, Jesus
says:
…to sit at my
right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for
whom it has been prepared by my Father.
The other ten
disciples are not much better. They are angry and indignant about the backdoor
tactics of James and John. Obviously, their thinking is no different. So Jesus
teaches them about real greatness.
In the secular
world, leaders exert power, domination and manipulation. They control people
for their own ends. In Jesus’ world, it is altogether different. To be great is
to put one’s talents totally at the service of others, to empower—not to
have power. Jesus himself is the perfect example. It is a lesson we do not find
easy to learn or to follow.
And Jesus says in
conclusion:
…whoever wishes
to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first
among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but
to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
The word ‘ransom’
here is to be taken in the sense of ‘liberation, making free’. ‘Many’, as a
Semitic expression, means ‘all’. Jesus put his whole life at our disposal so
that every single person should experience liberation and fullness of life. We
are called to take part in the same great enterprise.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/l1024g/
Wednesday,
March 4, 2026
Season of Lent
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your prophets remind us in season
and out of season of our responsibilities toward You and toward the world of
people.
When they disturb and upset us, let it be a holy
disturbance that makes us restless, eager to do Your will and to bring justice
and love around us. We ask You this through Christ our Lord.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 20: 17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the Twelve
disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, "Behold, we
are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief
priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over
to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified and He will be raised
on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus
with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to
her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these
two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your
kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him,
"We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to
sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for
whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they
became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great
ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes
to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come
to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Reflection
Today s Gospel presents three points: the third announcement
of the Passion (Mt 20: 17- 19), the petition of the mother of the sons of
Zebedee (Mt 20: 20-23) and the discussion of the disciples regarding the first
place among them (Mt 20: 2428).
•
Matthew 20: 17-19: The third announcement of the
Passion. Going toward Jerusalem, Jesus walks in front of them. He knows that He
is going to be killed. The Prophet Isaiah had already announced it (Is 50: 4-6;
53: 1-10). His death is not the fruit of a plan established in advance, but the
consequence of the commitment taken concerning the mission received from the
Father, to be at the side of the excluded of His time. This is why Jesus speaks
to the disciples about the tortures and death that He will have to face in
Jerusalem. The disciple should follow the Master, even if He has to suffer like
He. The disciples are frightened and accompany Him with fear. They do not
understand what
is happening (cfr. Lk 18: 34). Suffering did not correspond
to the idea that they had of the Messiah (cfr. Mt 16: 21-23).
•
Matthew 20: 20-21: The petition of the mother to
obtain the first place for her sons. The disciples do not only not understand
the importance and significance of the message of Jesus, but they continue with
their own personal ambitions. When Jesus insists on service and the gift of
oneself, they continue to ask for the first places in the Kingdom. The mother
of James and John, taking her sons with her, gets close to Jesus . The two did
not understand the proposal of Jesus. They were concerned only about their own
interests. This is a sign that the ideology of that time had profoundly
penetrated the mentality of the disciples. In spite of the fact of having lived
with Jesus several years, they had not renewed their way of seeing things. They
looked at Jesus as always, with the same look. They wanted a reward for
following Jesus. The same tensions existed in the communities of the time of
Matthew and they still exist today in our own communities.
•
Matthew 20: 22-23: Jesus’ answer. Jesus reacts
firmly: You do not know what you are asking for! And He asks if they are
capable of drinking the chalice that he, Jesus, will drink and if they are
ready to receive the baptism which He will receive. It is the chalice of
suffering, the baptism of blood! Jesus wants to know if they, instead of the
places of honor, accept to give their life up to death. Both answer: We can! It
seems to be a response not given from within, because a few days later, they
abandoned Jesus and left Him alone at the hour of suffering (Mk 14: 50). They
do not have a great critical knowledge; they do not perceive their personal
reality. In what concerns the first place, the place of honor, in the Kingdom
at the side of Jesus, the one who grants this is the Father. What he, Jesus,
has to offer, is the chalice and the baptism, suffering and the cross.
•
Matthew 20: 24-27: It should not be like that
among you: Jesus speaks once again, on the exercise of power (cfr. Mk 9:
33-35). At that time those who held power did not give an account to people.
They acted as they wished (cfr. Mk 6: 27-28). The Roman Empire controlled the
world and maintained it with the force of the arms. Through tributes, taxes, it
succeeded in concentrating the riches of the people in the hands of a few in
Rome. Society was characterized by the repressive and abusive exercise of power.
Jesus had an altogether different proposal. He said: It should not be like that
among you; the one who wants to become great among you should become a servant,
and the one who wants to be the first one among you will become your slave! He
teaches against privileges and rivalry. He wants to change the system and
insists on that service as the remedy against personal ambition.
•
Matthew 20: 28: The summary of the life of
Jesus. Jesus defines His mission and His life: I have not come to be served but
to serve! He has come to give His own life for the salvation of many. He is the
Messiah Servant, announced by the Prophet Isaiah (cfr. Is 42: 1-9; 49: 1-6; 50:
4-9); 52: 13-53: 12). He learned from His Mother who said: Behold, the handmaid
of the Lord! (Lk 1: 38). A totally new proposal for the society of that time.
Personal Questions
•
James and John ask for a favor and Jesus
promises suffering. What do I ask Jesus for in my prayer? How do I accept
suffering and the pains and sorrow which come to me in my life?
•
Jesus said: It should not be like that among
you! Does my way of living in community follow this advice of Jesus?
Concluding Prayer
Draw me out of the net they have
spread for me, for You are my refuge; into
Your hands I commit my spirit, by You have I been redeemed.
God of truth. (Ps 31: 4-5)
