AS WE GATHER 

Jeremiah didn’t have it easy, confronting enemies of himself and of God. Even his friends have betrayed him! So the prophet relies on God’s faithful promises, just as David had to do as he wrote today’s Psalm, which announces, “God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.” We need not quarrel and become angry with the world around us, James writes in the Epistle. God responds better to those who have “the meekness of wisdom.” Our Lord was faithful in His earthly ministry despite betrayal from one of the His followers. In today’s Gospel He teaches the Twelve about true greatness even when they cannot understand His coming execution and resurrection. It is His faithfulness for us that buoys us up in the face of the conflicts around us. And that’s what we celebrate today.