Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes. Etty Hillesum (We can always find time for these "mini-sabbaths." Give it a try today and see what difference it
makes.) |
Gn 17:3-9; Ps 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Jn 8:51-59 Jesus said to the Jews:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death."
So the Jews said to him,
"Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died,
as did the prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make
yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, 'He is our God.'
You do not know him,
but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my
day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. Reflection on the Scriptures
Jesus is telling us that in the midst of the loss and death all around us and with
the reality of our own diminishment and death, we will live forever. Jesus wants us not to be afraid but to believe that he has the gift of everlasting life for us. How do we receive that gift? By loving others the way he has loved us. By really seeing the people around us, loving and being grateful for them. Loving the way Jesus loves us, freely and with a lavish love, gives us a freedom because we have nothing to fear and can live more boldly and courageously in our daily lives. The challenge is not to analyze and over-think as the religious leaders did. We might be tempted to ask, “How can you possibly offer us this gift?” but Jesus invites us to simply trust in it and embrace this gift fully. Like the Pharisees, we can debate with our ever-loving God, the giver of our lives, but that challenge to God comes from our own pride and need for independence – or maybe just plain stubbornness. It's a matter of trust. Trust that Jesus is who he says he is. Trust that he offers us what he promises he’s offering. Trust that we really can be at peace in the midst of all that is troubling us. Trust that true happiness
in this life means to live and love the way Jesus does. As our Lent draws to a close, we can ask ourselves how we can trust more in the gift of peace that Jesus wants to give us. How can I turn that trust into a greater freedom to
love others? How can I be more caring for my family – even the difficult people in it. How can I better love and relate to my co-workers and those in the world around me. And if I love the way Jesus loved, I will keep a special focus on those who are marginalized, neglected and ignored.
-by Maureen
McCann Waldron.
Proverbs for Perspective and Spiritual Living by Philip St. Romain, M.S., D. Min. From Pathways to Serenity, 1989, Liguori Publications; reprinted by Contemplative Ministries, Inc., 2013 (Minor editing applied.)
- https://shalomplace.com/view/pathview.html Included in Light for the Christian Journey, 2020: Contemplative Ministries, Inc.
https://shalomplace.com/view/light-journey.html
I. Perspectives
6 . Life is loving, working, enjoying, and suffering,
one day at a time, one moment at a time, in God’s presence.
7. God is your joy, ever enough.
God is now, your joy is now.
Love is the way, peace is the guide. Love now, live in the Lord.
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