Daily Lenten Reflections

Friday, April 3, 2020

Friday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

At this point in Lent, I am feeling a little weary, overwhelmed, and just plain tired. Thirty six days into our Lenten journey feels like a long time in the “desert” to me. The commitment to practice discipline and interior work has waned, and I think these readings capture those feelings as we head towards Jesus’ Passion and suffering, yet they don’t leave us there—they remind us of God’s constant presence with us and urge us forward to not lose hope.

Our first reading from Jeremiah is terrifying, but maybe we can relate to feeling like we are “trapped” or having people watching for “any misstep” that we might make, waiting for others to point out our mistakes and errors. But the second part of the reading reassures us that the Lord will be with us and will not forsake us. It is God who knows what is truly in our hearts and minds, who knows the beauty of our intentions, when all the world sees is our failures and mistakes.

The Psalm echoes the cries of distress and fear that we heard in the first reading. The feeling of being overwhelmed, of being ensnared, and again, we are given beautiful images of God’s steadfast love—our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, our shield, and our stronghold.

In the Gospel, we are reminded that we don’t do works to gain praise for ourselves and oftentimes, we might be misunderstood by others. The works aren’t done to earn acceptance from others, they are done as signs of God’s love. It is the Spirit of God within us and our response to the love that God has shown us that we reflect back out into the world for others to see. Even though we may feel weary, overwhelmed, or misunderstood, these passages offer us assurance that God is with us, offer us the encouragement to continue to be a light and sign of God’s love, and offer us the hope that Christ is our salvation. May we hold onto this as we continue our Lenten journey and turn ourselves towards preparing for the Holy Week that is just ahead.

Prayer

Loving God, our rock and our stronghold, may we not grow weary and overwhelmed, but hold onto Your promise of salvation. May we be signs of light and love in a world that needs the light of Christ to dispel the darkness. Amen.

Anna Lester, ’98, Assistant Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry

Scripture

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 18:2-7
Gospel: John 10:31-42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

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Mission of Edmundite Campus Ministry

The Mission of Edmundite Campus Ministry at Saint Michael’s College is to share the Good News of the Gospel with the College community by facilitating encounter with Jesus Christ. We do this through the celebration of the Church’s Liturgy, in programs promoting knowledge of the Catholic faith, by developing ecumenical and interreligious relationships, and providing retreats and other opportunities for personal spiritual growth.

The Catholic and Edmundite tradition upon which the College was founded is grounded in the conviction that all women and men are created in the image and likeness of God providing a special dignity unique to each person. Such dignity requires human life to be respected in all of its stages recognizing that we are all children of God.

Therefore, in its pursuit of furthering the Reign of God, the Edmundite Campus Ministry staff seeks to interact with and support every member of the College community in their search for Truth, contributing to the “enhancement of the human person and to the advancement of human culture in light of the Catholic faith.”