Testifying to the Word by Beth DeCristofaro

Testifying to the Word by Beth DeCristofaro

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out.” (Exodus 32:7-8)

“I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not.” (John 5:36-38)

Piety

Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice;

turn to the Lord and his strength;

constantly seek his face.

  (Entrance Antiphon, Mass for the Day)

Study

In these days of risk, it is not hard to identify with those stiff-necked people who felt lost in the desert, abandoned by a capricious leader.  Do we have the insight not to follow their example? In the tumult of conflicting information, I get frustrated.  As people ignore advice from health experts, I worry.  As others deny any emergency, I want to tell them off. And as the numbers of those infected and affected rises, it is not hard to feel helpless.

What would we say if tomorrow, like the Israelites in Egypt, God said: “Come, leave this life you know now, and I will lead you into the desert?”  Jesus’ detractors said “no” again and again.  Could I give up the “molten calf” of all I know?

Jesus, in the face of his detractors and accusers, remained unwavering to the Truth that the greater testimony of his Father will prove in the end that God is lovingly present in the lives of His People.  My life, our lives, today is graced with the indwelling spirit of the one God sent.  This Lent, in the face of turmoil, we can ponder our dependency upon unmerited divine grace which God bestows upon us.  Lent is a time in which we can reflect on how deeply his word remains in us and how fully we believe in the one whom he has sent. 

Action

How strong is the trust I have that Jesus, Son of the Living God, is my Brother?  How might I strengthen that trust?  In what ways do I testify my trust in Jesus to others in these days of crisis?

Illustration:  Sonoran Desert, https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/gallery/10-spectacular-deserts-world-including-21745871