SATURDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - 2022

 

LENT 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance. LK 8:15

JEREMIAH 11:18-20 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The prophets of old and all holy men and women are fully aware of the cost of being obedient to You. They speak Your words when Your people stray. They warn, they cajole, they lament, they plead, and finally, when hearts refuse to listen, to repent, to humble themselves, they prophesy the dire punishments that will rain on them if they refuse to change their ways.  A few may listen but those who are steeped in evil are aroused to destroy those who disturb their conscience and hold up as a mirror before them their wickedness. 

Every martyr has Your image before their eyes. They are fully aware of the cost of speaking the truth boldly but they are prepared to die rather than coddle sinners. Your Word O Lord teaches us that the salvation of one soul from eternal damnation is worth the cost. 

Today, as in every age, Christians continue to be persecuted and what is worse they are persecuted by nations that were once Christian. Lawmakers plot constantly and feverishly to enact laws that kill the soul.

You were fully aware of the plots against You. The scheming that went on between the chief priests, the temple authorities, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod's minions. They all saw You as a grave threat to the status quo who had to be destroyed no matter the cost. When the hour for which the Father had sent You had arrived, You gave Yourself up as 'a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house.' You knew full well what You would have to suffer until You finally gave up Your Spirit but You endured all for my sake and for the sake of the whole world.

All who pitch themselves against Truth thinking, ‘Let us destroy the tree in its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name may be quickly forgotten!’ Have discovered to their dismay that Truth cannot be destroyed as You proved by Your glorious resurrection from the dead.

The foe is routed, death is destroyed, and Truth prevails.

JOHN 7:40-52 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You will always be a Sign of Contradiction to the world even to the end of time. People always listen to You, are in awe of You, but are unable to accept that God would become man much less suffer and die an ignominious, scandalous death to rise again from the dead after three days. 

These are questions that all who come to know You have to grapple with, 'Are You the prophet, the Christ?' And they will argue with themselves that this cannot be because You do not fit their preconceived notions of God. ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?’

To the extent that people grapple sincerely with the questions to which they seek answers, You will reveal Yourself.  

Those sent to arrest You came back without You. The Pharisees questioned them, 'Why haven't you brought him?' And they replied, ‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him.’ 

Even among the enemies of Truth, there will be secret friends like Nicodemus but in the end, the fear of the loss of reputation and standing among their peers often proves to be too much. Sadly, good people will continue to die as long as those with a conscience refuse to speak up and align themselves on the side of Truth.