April 8, 2011
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
By Melanie Rigney
The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright: “…For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him." These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls' reward. (Wisdom 2:1, 18-22)
The Lord redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. (Psalms 34:23)
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, "Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from." So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, "You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me." (John 7:25-29)
Piety
Almighty and Everlasting God, You have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility. He fulfilled Your Will by becoming Man and giving His life on the Cross. Help us to bear witness to You by following His example of suffering and make us worthy to share in His Resurrection. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen. (Lenten prayer of renewal; author unknown)
Study
Have you ever known someone who seemed to know exactly what they were doing in life, exactly why God sent them? I’m not talking about someone who’s an ego maniac or who’s driven to evangelize the world, but someone who has peace and confidence in the way his or her faith informs everyday life. Maybe it’s a family member or your Cursillo sponsor, or maybe it’s a close friend or someone you know slightly. Generally, they have a broad circle of people in their lives, because we instinctively recognize that peace and we like to be near it. It was the same thing 2,000 years ago; the Gospels depict Jesus as someone we’d like to hang out with.
But maybe you’re prickly, quick to anger. Or maybe you’re quiet and shy and your smile doesn’t light up a room. Maybe you’re not good at singing or dancing or writing or building Web sites or cooking or, it seems to you, much of anything else. Maybe people put you down, or appear to put you down, based on the way you talk or your gender or the color of your skin or your age. It was the same thing 2,000 years ago; today’s Gospel reading shows some residents of Jerusalem discounting Jesus because they know where he’s from, and to their mind, the Messiah is going to come out of nowhere to save them.
Jesus’s response is beautiful—all that matters is that God sent me. And it’s the same thing 2,000 years later. Our purpose may not always be clear to us, much less to the rest of the world. But if we trust the One who sent us, we’ll find that what the critics think doesn’t matter… and we’ll feel that inner peace and confidence begin to take hold and be reflected in those around us.
Action
Listen to “Three Wooden Crosses,” the 2003 Country Music Association Song of the Year. Contemplate the two final lines of the chorus: “It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you/It’s what you leave behind you when you go.”
