20260304 WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF LOVE
04 March 2026, Wednesday, 2nd Week of Lent
First reading |
Jeremiah 18:18-20 |
My enemies are digging a pit for me
‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.’
Listen to me, O Lord,
hear what my adversaries are saying.
Should evil be returned for good?
For they are digging a pit for me.
Remember how I stood in your presence
to plead on their behalf,
to turn your wrath away from them.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 30(31):5-6,14-16 |
Save me in your love, O Lord.
Release me from the snares they have hidden
for you are my refuge, Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
Save me in your love, O Lord.
I have heard the slander of the crowd,
fear is all around me,
as they plot together against me,
as they plan to take my life.
Save me in your love, O Lord.
But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;
I say: ‘You are my God.
My life is in your hands, deliver me
from the hands of those who hate me.’
Save me in your love, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Or: | Jn8:12 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel |
Matthew 20:17-28 |
They will condemn the Son of Man to death
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them, ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again.’
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants 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 as a ransom for many.’
WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 18:18-20; PS 31:5-6,14-16; MT 20:17-28]
It is important that we all have a focus in life. Happiness in life is not just about romance and relationship. This is of course important and indeed primary. But in itself, it is insufficient. We need to live for a purpose. To live for a purpose is to live for meaning. Only two things can satisfy the human person, truth and love. To live for love is to live for relationship. To live for truth is to live for a meaning. So what we need to ask is, what is driving us? In asking this question, we raise the question of ambition. We are all driven by what we desire. We are driven by ambition. A man without ambition, a man without any purpose in life would just drift on like a rolling stone that gathers no moss. He is easily swept by the wind, novelties in life and chasing one to another craze. One day he is into Pokémon and another day he is into something else.
The tragedy is that many of us who live in darkness are ignorant of how to find real happiness and meaning in life. Most of us are misled by the world into thinking that power, money, and fame will bring us happiness. This was the case with the Israelites in the first reading. They turned to false gods. Their ambition for money and power led them to forge alliances with foreign powers and to worship their gods. They refused to listen to the Word of God. They persisted in their selfishness, worshipping false gods and engaging in immoral activities and dishonesty.
In the Gospel, the apostles sought worldly power. So scandalous was it that St Matthew attributed the request to their mother, having her ask, “Promise that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” But when Jesus asked, “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” they replied, “We can.” Clearly, it was the apostles themselves who desired power, wealth, and fame. The other ten were not much different. We read that “when the other ten heard this, they were indignant with the two brothers.” Pope Francis never ceased to warn us of the temptation to spiritual worldliness. Even within the religious sphere, the need for security and our egotism continue to drive us to seek power, fame, and recognition.
When we walk in the ways of the world, we live in darkness. That is why Jeremiah tried to enlighten the kings, the false prophets, and the people not to pursue this way of life; otherwise, the judgment of God would come upon them. He invited them to repent of their disobedience to God’s will and His laws. But the people would not listen. As foretold, because of their sin, Jerusalem was eventually destroyed. The Temple was ruined, and the people were led into captivity in Babylon. In the final analysis, the people were responsible for their own destruction because they refused to listen to God’s message.
Indeed, this is true of many who are ambitious for the wrong things in life. They work hard day and night. They think that wealth and money can afford them all the pleasures of life. But in truth, there is a limit to the satisfaction that wealth and pleasure can bring. Once you have a certain amount of money, the rest is just a number, because you cannot spend all that you have. Once you have tasted all the finest food, you will not want to eat too much of it, because too much good food ultimately harms your health. Once you have travelled to many places, you become jaded and simply wish to spend time at home enjoying the simple things of life. This was also the experience of King Solomon when he wrote his reflections in Ecclesiastes (Eccl 2:4-11).
Some think that fame and power can make them happy. This is also not true. Egotism that springs from deep insecurity within oneself cannot be overcome simply by becoming great and powerful, because there will always be people who are better than we are. No matter how powerful we become, we remain insecure about our competitors. That is why businesses try to outsmart their rivals, and those in power seek to unseat anyone who threatens their status quo. So it does not mean we will be at rest. We will always be fighting our opponents and competitors until we die. We will never truly enjoy life on earth or be happy. Indeed, at the end of the day, after all these pursuits, it comes to nothing (cf. Eccl 2:20-23).
So let us not be deceived. This was what Jeremiah was trying to warn his fellow men about: not to walk in the way of ignorance that leads to darkness and sin. Instead, the Lord is asking us to walk in the path of humble service and love. It is not about oneself but about others. “You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man.” We are called to be of service to humanity — not just any form of service, but selfless, humble, and total service. That was how Jesus lived His life. He “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Happiness in life is found when we give ourselves in service to God and to humanity. This is the only ambition that is not motivated by self-love, egotism, or love of worldly pleasures, but simply by the joy of unconditional love and service. When our motives for service are not driven by wealth, power, and recognition, we find great peace in serving the Lord and our fellow men. Jesus advised us, “As for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.”
But this entails much opposition. It is not easy to remain focused on our goals in life. It is very daunting to live the values of Christ and the Gospel because the lifestyle offered by the Lord, as enshrined in the Beatitudes, is out of this world. These values contradict the standards of the world. People may find us odd or foolish because we choose against what the world regards as achievements in life. Instead, we choose poverty, simplicity, meekness, mercy, righteousness, purity, and even persecution for the sake of the kingdom. The values of the kingdom, of course, differ from those of the world. Jeremiah suffered for the truth and for the Word of God. He spoke the Word of God for the sake of his countrymen, yet instead of being grateful, they sought to remove him from their midst.
Indeed, because of our faith, some of us are ridiculed at school or in our environment. Non-believers often taunt and mock us for not joining them in their worldly lifestyle. This was the same situation in which Jeremiah found himself. He had to bear the taunts of those who opposed his message: “Come on, let us concoct a plan against Jeremiah. Come on, let us strike him with his own tongue.” So much so that we may even feel ashamed to be known as Catholics. Of course, it does not help that many of us do not live up to our faith, and those who know we are Catholics may use our failures in Christian conduct to humiliate and attack us. This explains why many Catholics prefer to remain anonymous in their workplace and in schools for fear of being challenged, ridiculed, and attacked.
Should we be surprised? Jeremiah asked, “Should evil be returned for good? For they are digging a pit for me.” Even Jesus was aware of the Passion before Him as He made His way to Jerusalem. He prophesied, “They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified.” Jesus was clearly aware of what He was doing and of the sufferings that lay ahead of Him. Yet He was equally confident that God and truth would triumph in the end. Like the psalmist, He could have said, “But as for me, I trust in you, Lord; I say: ‘You are my God. My life is in your hands; deliver me from the hands of those who hate me.'” The apostles, too, were asked the same question: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink? You shall drink my cup.” We, too, must be cognizant of the challenges of being Catholic and Christian in today’s society. The call to witness to Christ is not easy. We must be ready to drink the cup — to accept the consequences of our faith and to bear the effects of our sins and the sins of others.
For this reason, we need the support of our fellow Catholics. We cannot journey alone. That is why, during this season of Lent, we are called to walk as a community of faith. Alone, we may be too weak to resist the temptations of the world or the trials of the apostolate. But with fellow Catholics on this journey, we can help one another to walk in the light and to support each other in this pilgrimage of life, inspiring and strengthening one another. Jeremiah was alone. Jesus, at the threshold of His Passion, was also abandoned by the apostles. Instead of consoling Him or standing with Him as He faced the trials ahead, they were busy quarrelling among themselves over wealth, power, glory, and recognition. Let us not, therefore, abandon one another. Let us support each other in this journey of faith. Together, we will also triumph with Jesus over sin and death.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
