The prophet rejected

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today show a similar treatment of Jeremiah and Jesus by the communities to which they presented the will of God to be in relation with people as spouse. The Jewish history blog comments on the use by Jeremiah of marriage imagery to portray the relationship between God and His people. Our Christian understanding of Church is as the Bride of Christ. Rejection by the beloved is the experience with which we can approach the situation of Jeremiah and Jesus. The destruction of Jerusalem and the conquest of Judah are the consequence of the decision of the people to abandon trust in God. Friar Jude Winkler notes that even though Jeremiah suffers in body and spirit for his warnings that the loss of their ties to God will bring consequence, he declares that God will remain faithful and restore life to the people who return to Him. The works of Jesus seem to be unimportant points in the experience of the Jewish authorities who pick up rocks to throw at Jesus, who they accuse of blasphemy in the text from the Gospel of John. These works of Jesus inspire reflection by Marty Kalkowski on the difficulty of seeing Jesus in our brothers and sisters. How do we present to others the love and mercy of Christ and the Jeremiah-like concern that the behaviour of some with whom we live may lead to unwanted and undesirable life consequences. Our assurance rests in trust that God will be Shepherd, with rod and staff, for all and that He will continue to invite us and others to intimate and fruitful lives especially after the consequences of doing it our way have run their course.