THE WORD IN LENT - Fifth Friday in Lent
April 11, 2025 - Jeremiah 20: 10-13; John 10:31-42
Terror, revenge, vengeance, fear... these are the sentiments that dominate the Word today. With Jesus being taken to task, almost stoned. These types of negativities and fears are no strange experiences to us, may be at different levels. But each of us go through these, and specially in the world scenario today, these abound.
Negativities at the level of persons, at the level of families, in the societies, at the international level; Vengeance and enmities, threats and deceptions, they create an anguish in persons and in the collective consciousness of people. What is the way out of these experiences of anguish? We see that suggested in the Responsorial psalm - I call to the Lord and the Lord shall hear my voice!
Hence the message - to call, to cry out to God. But the question is: what will God do then? With he make all these experiences disappear? Will he just turn everything upside down in the snap of a finger? Will he do magic that makes everything totally different and happy? Jesus and his situation in the Gospel clarifies this to us - in our anguish we call out to the Lord and the Lord hears.., and does what? He comes to be with us, to be on our side, to walk through whatever we are walking through, to assure us of his presence, his assuring presence - that is the foundation of hope!