Wednesday of the Fifth Week
Reflection
We have two very different situations in the first reading and the Gospel. The first reading shows three believers in the God of Israel who are saved from death for their faith, while in the Gospel the descendants of these men are rebuked for their lack of faith and for being “slaves of sin.”  It makes me think about how people’s faith can change over time. Whether you’ve had powerful belief since you were born or discovered God at a certain point in your life, there must have been a time when you felt your faith was especially strong. In times like these, it can feel like you can do anything, even walk through fire without being burned. But over time, maybe as the cause for your initial burst of faith faded, God became less prominent while sin and doubt rose. It may have even come to the point where you were so distanced from your faith and so stuck in your new ways that you would reject and persecute someone who reminded you of what you needed to change.  The Jews in today’s Gospel wanted to silence Jesus to the point of killing Him because they were so resistant to His message. If you find any similarities to your own faith journey in rejecting the need to change your ways that are sinful or hurtful, let Lent be a time to redefine, revive, and strengthen your faith in God.

Prayer
God, help us find new reasons and recall our old reasons to grow in faith in You. Amen.

Allie Novak, ’17

Scripture
First Reading: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
Psalm: Daniel 3:52-56
Gospel: John 8:31-42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website