THE WORD IN LENT - 4th week, Thursday
March 26, 2020: Exodus 32: 7-14; John 5: 31-47Point for Dialogue #23: Impatience of mind and Endurance of the will
Human mind gets too easily tired of seeking the truth! It prefers to ask the question 'what is truth' (as Pilate asked) and much worse the question, 'is there a truth', without really making all the efforts to ask the question, 'how best can I get to it?' The call here is to set a dialogue up between my impatience to hold on to something immediate and my endurance to remain in the draught until I get the closest possible to the truth, that is, between an easy compromise and an enduring commitment.
The people of Israel in the first reading are an ample illustration of the lot that easily gives into compromise, so impatient in mind. In spite of the wonders that they witnessed in Egypt, at the red sea and in the desert, they had the hardness of heart to settle with the gods made of their own hands - just because they could not wait, they could not endure the time that Moses was taking, they could not wait on the Lord anymore!
Confusions of our daily life, troubles of our regular days, temptations amidst our ordinary experiences, struggles to carry out one's duties, and intense experiences like the one we are through these day with the health crisis - these can some times make us forget the Truth that we have always experienced.
Deserting one's faith, abandoning one's traditions, going in search of easy substitutes for the cherished experiences of life... things of these sorts are nothing strange to the world today. It is simply because, the human mind is so impatient and prefers compromise to commitment! How well founded is our faith expreience? In whom have we placed our hope? Let us recommit ourselves to endure any situation to remain always close to the Truth!