Saturday of the Fifth Week
Fear is a powerful emotion. It can break things apart, create uncertainty, and can cause us to react from a place of suspicion and pain. On this last day before Holy Week, these readings speak to me of choices we face – unity vs. division, faith vs. fear, life vs. death. Fear often tears us apart from one another, but we hear so beautifully in the first reading of the Lord promising to gather people who have wandered apart back into one nation in a covenant of peace so that “they may be my people and I may be their God.” The Lord wants to reunite our human family and repair our brokenness. This vision feels like a distant reality in today’s world, and I feel myself yearning for a community of faith with God dwelling among us.
As we move on to the Gospel reading, we then see people being divided – some choosing faith in Jesus while other chose fear. We hear that many people saw and believed in Jesus, but there were also those who turned to the Pharisees, fearful that the Romans would come and take away what was theirs. They – like we often are – were afraid, frightened, and unsure of the future.
Those in the Gospel asked each other, “What are we going to do?” We too have to make a choice. To seek unity. To overcome fear. To embrace the selfless act of love that Jesus gives to us. None of this is easy. As our world feels more and more divided, fearful, and self-serving, we continue to try to strive towards unity and love in a world that often feels bleak. As we enter Holy Week, may we be reminded of how love conquers fear and find the hope we need by witnessing the unconditional love that Jesus has for all of us.
Prayer
Anna Lester, ’98, M‘11
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