True Discipleship, Freedom And Slavery
March 20, 2013
Wednesday of the
Fifth Week of Lent
By Jack Finnerty
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Blessed be the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the
servants who trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their
bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” Daniel
3:14-20, 24-25,28
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly,
I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not
continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes
you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:31-42
Piety
"Lord
Jesus, write your words of love and truth upon my heart and make me a diligent
student and a worthy disciple of your word." Don Schwager (c) 2013, www.dailyscripture.net
Study
"If you
remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples." Wikipedia defines
disciple as a learner and student of Jesus "...different from an apostle
which instead means a messenger. A disciple is one who learns from a teacher;
an apostle is one sent to deliver those teachings or a message." Jesus
continued to make disciples throughout his ministry; even at the very end of
his ministry, commanding all present to "go therefore and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded
you" (Matthew 28:19-20a). These words make me think of the answer to the
Baltimore Catechism's Question #4: To gain the happiness of heaven we must
know, love, and serve God in this world. True then, true now - also sounds like
Piety, Study and Action! This week's
edition of the History Channel's five-Sunday wonderful presentation of the
miniseries "The Bible," was part of my week's study. We watched
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walking in the fire as they were joined by
"one who looks like the son of God." These three brave men defiantly
proclaimed they would follow God's command not to worship false idols, and were
willing to be put to a horrible death to follow that command. Near the end of
this same episode, Jesus names His first disciples, Simon (Peter) and his
brother, Andrew.
Action
As we near the
end of the 2013 Lenten season, the parishes of greater DC metro area of the
Washington and Arlington Dioceses are advertising on the radio, web site,
parish bulletins, and so forth, providing notice of numerous opportunities for
receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For instance, every Lenten Wednesday
evening, the approximately 225 Catholic parishes are open for the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Termed THE LIGHT IS ON FOR YOU, the parishes are promising that at least one priest will be available
during the evening. On a recent Monday evening in my parish, in addition to the
regular Reconciliation schedule of three opportunities a week, a Lenten Penance
Service was held, with "many priests to hear confessions...to avoid the
long lines at the confessional during the last days of Lent." One cannot
say that our church doesn't offer many opportunities for reconciliation! If the
Son frees you, you will really be free.
Do I trust in
God to give me His help and strength when my faith is put to the test?
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