Friday of the Fifth Week
ReflectionWe experience times in our lives when we want God to intervene and make everything “right.” The prophet Jeremiah was persecuted for telling the people to turn back to God and in today’s first reading, we hear him lament about his troubles. Jeremiah wanted the Lord to vindicate him and punish his enemies. Wouldn’t it be great if God ensured that the good guy always wins in the end? When that doesn’t happen, people often want to blame God instead of realizing that in our darkest moments, God can bring us into His glorious light and provide us the strength and refuge to face the difficult times. He can carry us when we feel we can no longer stand.
In times of struggle, it is hard to remember that there is a God who loves us; people sometimes lose faith. In today’s Gospel reading, the Jews did not believe Jesus was the Son of God. At first, Jesus responds with an intellectual/theological explanation, but then He asks them to simply judge Him based on His actions. Either Jesus is carrying out God’s work or He is not. If He is, then obviously God is in Him and one should believe Jesus’ words. Believing, while in theory seems straightforward; in reality, it isn’t. We must constantly remind ourselves of all that Jesus did, especially His ultimate sacrifice for us on Good Friday, to help strengthen our faith in God and His beloved Son.
Prayer
Lord – You care about me, love me and offer me the gift of Your peace. Great treasures are easy to find if we know how to look for them. Help me to always focus on You.
Lucia Thomas, ’16
Scripture
First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13Psalm 18:2-7
Gospel: John 10:31-42
No comments:
Post a Comment