Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
How do you know that Jesus is God? When is the last time we paused to contemplate this? Christ is Lord. Each of us is called to consider this today, and every day. If I cannot answer this question, does that not put me in the camp of the stone throwers from the gospel? My answer is quite simply connected to the Psalm today. “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.” (Ps 18:7) He heard my voice. Growing up, any time I was faced with a challenging situation or a tough decision, I was consistently told to pray about it. To be clear, I wasn’t just told, I was taught how to take my prayer to the Lord. I was gifted with the opportunity to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I was taught how to spend time with the Lord and enter into the classroom of silence. It has never been easy to be patient but in countless moments throughout my life, I have encountered the work of our Lord.
Jesus performed many good works in the Gospel; Jesus also desires to perform the work of the Father in our lives. We are not alone in times of great distress. In times of great distress, we are presented with a great opportunity to live out our call to discipleship. My friends, there is so much need in our communities today, globally and locally. How can we find ways to support one another and be a source of joy to our neighbors, our friends, co-workers, and family? Earthquakes, tornados, school shootings, hunger, hatred, loss. Many are scared and distressed. Where can we turn? To the Lord; to one another. Three years ago, we were in the midst of “stay at home” orders during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our lives were turned upside down and the busyness of our world came to a screeching halt. As a response, LeeAnn and I embarked on a journey of prayer that continues today. We set-up a recurring zoom call every night at 9PM that to this day is still titled “Coronavirus Divine Mercy Novena”. During a time of trouble and distress, we chose to call upon the Lord in prayer. As we continued to gather every night for prayer, the community and fellowship fostered in the group served as a source of joy and strength.
God is our source of refuge. I am not attempting to say that simply saying a few Hail Mary’s, going to one celebration of mass, or spending some time in Eucharistic Adoration is going to instantly fix our issues and solve life’s problems. However, I would submit that our problems become much more bearable when we turn to Jesus. Pope Francis says to become fully human, we must become more than human. God became man so that man might become like God. Jesus has come to show us how to be fully human. Our verse before the gospel today points to the “many good works'' from the Father that Christ calls attention to in the Gospel. “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.” (Jn 6:63c, 68c) As Christians, we desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The spirit invigorates our life and draws forth the fullness of humanity. When the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we are drawn into the divine life. As we hear in the Eucharistc prayer at mass, Jesus takes on our humanity so that we might share in the divinity of God. This is the message of our readings today–Jesus is more than human. Our good God is our rock to lean upon when times get tough, our strength when our tanks are running empty, and our place of loving refuge in moments of distress.
As we endeavor toward Holy Week, may we remember that the presence of the Lord dwells in each of us, we are never alone in this journey. How can we trust in the Lord as a mighty hero who is always by our side? How do you know that Jesus is God and not a blasphemer? “Everything John said about this man was true.” (Jn 10:41) Like the many there, may we begin to truly believe in Jesus, “[our] rock, [our] fortress, [our] deliverer” (Ps 18:3).
Peace,
Brandon Meyer