Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

 Isaiah49:8-15      John 5:17-30

In The Monastic Heart, a book the parish distributed last year, Sr. Joan Chittister explains that the antiphon or refrain that begins and ends each psalm is meant to distill the psalm into a single idea that we can ponder and understand. We see this quality in today’s antiphon: “The Lord is gracious and merciful.” For us, that assurance sets the tone for the other two readings today, and invites reflections on who God is and what God intends for all of us. In the first reading God promises comfort to his people through a love and commitment that exceeds even that of a mother for her child. That’s a powerful image. In the Gospel, Jesus promises eternal life to those who hear the Word that Jesus proclaims.

“The Lord is gracious and merciful” strikes us as the key for a meditation on today’s readings. Even though we sometimes feel we are falling or we are bowed down in the way the psalm mentions, we are consoled by God’s constant love. Personally, whenever we pray, we remember our daughters Rebecca and Elizabeth, who both died in 2020. They are forever with us, especially in the rosary and in the Eucharist. We take great comfort in reflecting on the promises highlighted in today’s readings, especially the assurances of the Lord’s compassion toward all his works and the Lord’s nearness to all of creation, as well as the knowledge that through Jesus we can look forward to the resurrection of life.

Q:  In what ways has the Lord been gracious and merciful to me personally?

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