Saturday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

Has there ever been a time in your life when you weren’t sure if you believed in Jesus?  We may ask ourselves, was He really the Messiah, the Chosen One, or just someone who claimed to be a Savior?  Do we believe He is who He says He is?  Those in the crowd in today’s Gospel reading were unsure of exactly what to think of Jesus and like the guards in the Gospel, we are sometimes accused by others of being deceived.  When we are, we are often like a “trusting lamb led to be slaughtered” (Jeremiah 11:19).  And yet, we can find hope and courage in the guard’s statement that “Never before has anyone spoken like this man” (John 7:46).  He stood firm in his belief.

 

We can feel this struggle of belief in our daily lives.  When we take refuge in God, we ask Him to help us through these struggles and to continue to believe in Him.  God’s shield is always before us when we need help, but we may not always pick it up.  We have to remember to keep God close to our hearts, especially at these times.  During this Lenten season, we can do this by remembering the response from today, “O Lord, my God, in You I take refuge.” With this constant reminder of placing our trust in God, we can accomplish anything.  We may continually have this torn feeling between believing and not believing, but we must always remember we can take refuge in God’s love. 

 

As this Lenten season continues, take time to feel God’s shield around you.  Remember it is constantly with you, you just have to pick it up.

 

Prayer

O Lord, my God, in You I take refuge.  Help me to not be a trusting lamb led to be slaughtered, but be my shield to protect me from evil.  Amen.

Maura Grogan, ‘14

 

Scripture

First Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20

Psalm 7:2-3, 9bc-12

Gospel: John 7:40-53

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website