Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Intention: For all who are standing up for justice, especially those who are persecuted for their courage, that God will continue to strengthen them and that their sacrifices may bear redeeming fruit.
Today’s Gospel | John 5:17-30
Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
Reflection
“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
This excerpt from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem, Aurora Leigh, captures the irony of how people can spend their lives oblivious to a reality that completely surrounds them. In this case, they somehow manage to take no notice of a God who is everywhere, yet are able to give full attention to tiny berries growing on brambles around their feet. It provides an interesting metaphor for the disconnect that can occur between our senses and our souls.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus comments on the fact that so many persons are not able to recognize who he is. Even as he reveals to them the power of the Kingdom, they choose to look past him for a messiah that they are prepared to accept, preferring their own vision to God’s. The good news that had been the object of their longings somehow cannot find its way into their hearts. In the midst of epiphany, they wander unaware.
How is it possible to overlook God? Browning suggests, as did Jesus, that not all who have eyes are able to see. One must be determined to use one’s sight, to be awake and present to a moment in order to experience what it reveals. While some view life through eyes of indifference, others have learned to view life through eyes of faith. They see not only what is here but also what is coming, not only how things are but also how they can be. God’s creative presence fills their panorama, leaving them both enlightened and humbled.
Lent is a time for reflection. We are asked to slow down, to quiet ourselves and place ourselves once more in accord with God’s will. It is a chance for us to find again our eyes of faith, to see the fire of God’s presence as it fills the world, and to remove our shoes and know that we stand and live on holy ground.
Prayer
Eternal Father, your Son gave his life on the cross so that we who do not hear might be awakened to your voice both within and around us. In this holy time of Lent, we thank you for the grace to be able to follow the sound of your call out of the darkness of our sins and into the light of your grace. Forgive us for those times when we have failed to do your will. Help us to live with a great zeal for loving and serving others and for being signs of your healing and peace for all. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.