The Fifth Wednesday of Lent

(Daniel 3: 14-20, 91-92, 95, John 8: 31-42)

“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” (Dan. 3:95). What God did for these three young men would serve as a beacon of hope for the Babylonian captives. Nebuchadnezzar’s shock was nothing compared to the encouragement the exiles felt every time they retold the story. Like our Jewish ancestors in the faith, we need to build each other up in faith by telling and retelling the stories of God’s loving-kindness. The gifts God has bestowed on us will continue to be fruitful if we use them to his greater glory. It is the task of every believer to proclaim the message of God’s merciful love thereby becoming a light for all around. The seed of the Word can only bear fruit when it is sown with abandon. The more we share the Good News, the more we grow in love of the Word incarnate. The more we love the Word Incarnate, the more we love the people that God loves.

Because God so loves the world, Jesus came to seek out the lost who have hidden themselves due to fear and shame. Once he found them and recognized their distress, Jesus called them by name and assured them that he loved them. Not only that, he reminded them that they were precious to him. That being said, he lovingly picked them up and gently cradled them close to his heart. Until the end of time, the divine physician promises to heal their blindness so that they can see the beauty of life in Christ. He continues to open their ears so that they can hear the Good News of salvation that will strengthen their faith. He stretches out his arm to heal the lame so that they can jump and dance and run in his presence. What I find the most interesting thing about God’s saving grace is that He desires to make us whole even more than we desire to be made whole.

It is not a matter of knowing how exactly to express our sins. Rather, it is essential that we recognize ourselves as sinners in need of mercy and throw ourselves into the outstretched arms of Jesus who was crucified for our sake. “Yet it is not so much that we go to the Lord, but that he comes to us, to fill us with his grace, to fill us with his joy. Our confession gives the Father the joy of raising us once more. It is not so much about our sins as about his forgiveness. Think about it: if our sins were at the heart of the sacrament, almost everything would depend on us, on our repentance, our efforts, our resolves. Far from it. The sacrament is about God, who liberates us and puts us back on our feet… The Lord’s gaze on each one of us is not a blinding beacon that dazzles and puts us in difficulty, but the gentle glow of a friendly lamp, which helps us to see the good in us and to realize the evil so that we can convert and be healed with the support of His grace.” (Pope Francis)