A Lenten Renewal:
Reflections on the Mass readings in light of our daily lives
By Mother Marie Julie, SCMC
My Dear Good People,
Things continue to not look good for Jesus these days. In the Gospels at Mass, that is. His enemies are taking exception to everything He says, twisting His words, giving a bad slant to His actions (even His miracles!), and trying to confuse the people about who Jesus is, as in John 5:17-30, today’s Gospel. Of course, they don’t know themselves who He is, so it’s no wonder.
We want to defend Jesus, to cry out to those enemies,
That’s NOT what He meant.
He’s Lord of the Sabbath! Curing someone on the Sabbath isn’t against His Father’s law!
Can’t you see what you are doing, trying to set Him up so you can do away with the One who has come to save you?
But they can’t hear us, so far from this present day are they. So we feel helpless as the jaws of death close around Him. These are the stirrings that the Church sows within us as we come closer to Holy Week, to the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday before we breathe the sweet fragrance of the Easter morning.
The thought that comes to me is that we are living in times that are not far from the voices Jesus heard from His enemies two thousand years ago. No matter our political persuasion, many of us feel that there is so much going on in our country that seems to defy logic. But this isn’t the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last. Our ultimate protection lies in trusting that the Word of Truth, spoken by the Word of God, Jesus our Savior, can never deceive us. Although it isn’t always easy for us to discern the Truth, Jesus said, Whoever hears my word and believes in the One who sent Me will have eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).
Hearing His word comes in prayer. As we spend time each day reading and praying over the Gospel for daily Mass, we open ourselves to the beauty of the Truth that sets us free (John 8:32). Remember we said at the beginning of Lent that the Word of God [Scripture] is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). So we find ourselves moved by different emotions and understandings each time we read the Scriptures. These readings never grow old, and they will never lead us astray if we entrust our understanding to the Holy Spirit. In this way, the Paschal Mysteries (the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus) begin to take up residence within us and we walk among our sisters and brothers alight with the Spirit of God. It doesn’t matter that we might not be able to see the witness we give, because God sees it in us. The first line of today’s Gospel says it all:
My Father is at work until now.
That means this coming Now.
And it means He is working in you.
In this, Jesus finds the consolation He seeks when He begs,
Make your home in Me as I make mine in you (John 15:4).
and then