Wednesday March 3, 2021 - Second week of Lent - I am the light of the world, says the Lord. Whoever follows me will have the light of life - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20, 17-28

Lent is a good time to understand what it is to be a disciple. The first reading as well as the Gospel give us some answers. To be a disciple of Jesus, according to the Gospel, is to be ready to share the tragic and glorious fate of Jesus Christ, the Master. Jesus had to endure mockery, condemnation, and suffering to accomplish the will of God, his Father. We his disciples will imitate him by taking this adventure if we want to enjoy the victory of Easter with him. The prophet Jeremiah gives us the example of how to endure suffering and persecution: surrender to God in a prayer full of passion and trust.

Another characteristic of the disciple is service. We are servants of the little ones and it is through this service that we express our humility. The apostles did not understand this logic when Jesus announced his suffering as the suffering Servant of the prophet Isaiah. The apostles were concerned with the glory of being placed beside their Master; they concentrated on the title and the power, that is why the ten others were indignant at James and John, to whom their mother asked Jesus a special favor of placing them one to the left and the another to the right of Jesus their Master.