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Theo Tigno•
3/28/2007 11:37 am
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Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent |
John 8:31-42
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then do what you have heard from the Father."
They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!" So they said to him, "We were not born of fornication. We have one Father, God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for those who have fallen away from The Church, that the upcoming Holy Week can be a time of renewal in their lives.
What are you holding on to in your heart that is holding you back from being free to be a child of God? What is holding you back from being free to love?
What is the false god in your heart?
I tried to find the false god the Jews in today's reading were holding on to. They formed their image of what God should be, just like when they were in the desert and they formed "the golden calf" as their god. Instead of a golden calf, they wanted God to come to them so that they can be a victorious people in the eyes of what the world thinks is "victory." They fashioned a god that would bring them golden temples and let them be free to do as they wish.
Well, instead Jesus came to us so that we can all be "temples" made by God's hands. Instead, Jesus showed us the paradox of true freedom: freedom to be obedient to The Father.
What is the false god that you fashioned in your heart? Is it a god who will spare you from people acting uncharitable to you? Is it a god that will spare you from ever feeling the ache of poverty? Is it a god that will take revenge on those who have hurt you?
We can often see how the placement of that god manifests itself in our lives. Do we seek to exact revenge when someone cuts us off in traffic? Do we hold onto a grudge with a loved one because we "expect" them to be the first to apologize? Do we ignore someone and fail to acknowledge their dignity because of our own misconceptions?
The Jews in today's reading held on to their false god and wanted to kill the real, living God before them. That is the ugliness of idolatry: false gods enslaves us to sin. Let us burn these false idols in the furnace of God's infinite mercy. Take care and God Bless.
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