Jesus asked James, John and their mother; “Can you drink of the cup i am to drink of?” “We can.” they said (Mt 20:22). They did not understand what cup Jesus was referring to, but they assumed they could drink it. James did eventually drink of the cup of martyrdom (Acts 12:2) and John the cup of being persecuted (Rev 1:9).
However they refused this cup at first. James and John were chosen by Jesus to be with him in his agony in the garden of Gethsemane, but as Jesus suffered and prayed to his father about the cup, John and James fell asleep( Mt 26: 38-40). Later that evening, James, John and the other apostles refused to drink of the cup of suffering by abandoning Jesus as he was arrested (Mk 14:50).
This lent, Jesus is asking us if we can drink from the cup. We know that by the grace of our baptisms we can and must drink of the cup of suffering and of crucified love. Yet will we decide and are we deciding to drink of the cup? Naturally no one wants to suffer. Supernaturally however, love is more important than avoiding pain. There is no greater love than this: to lay down ones life for Jesus.
# extract fromthedailyreadings#
#rawandreal#
Raw and Real 