Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
March 20, 2021
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Jeremiah 11:18-20
Today’s reading has been called the “Gethsemane of Jeremiah.” Jeremiah knows that persecution lies ahead of him, that his enemies are gathering to do him harm. He recalls his commitment to the Lord and asks God to protect him.
The story of Jeremiah does not have a happy ending. He continues to be mistreated by those who should be defending him. He witnesses the destruction of Jerusalem. At the end of his life he is kidnapped–led off into Egypt by the people who refused to follow the directives that God was offering them through Jeremiah.
Those who represent God have not always been popular. One is even inclined to say that they have never been popular–either in the past or in the present.
