Category: Uncategorized

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Imagine you’re driving in a terrible storm. 

Turning on your radio, the meteorologist tells you a tornado is headed your way. If you don’t turn around, you’ll run right into it.

Turn around or die.

I’m sure all of us would turn around. It’s the easiest decision we’d ever make.

Jesus, on the other hand, runs right into it.

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In the Gospel, he’s under intense pressure from the religious authorities. They’ve been trying to silence him for some time but have finally had enough. 

He’s crossed the line. He’s claimed he’s God.

That’s blasphemy, an offense punishable by death. No one is God but God alone. As the authorities say to him today, “You, a man, are making yourself God.”

Blasphemy!

Knowing his words will cost him his life, Jesus looks at them and says, “I AM.”

He forces them – and all of us – to decide: Is he a lunatic or is he Lord? 

There’s no middle ground.

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To back up his claims, Jesus performs incredible works of mercy. 

No one other than God could bring sight to the blind, healing to lepers, or Lazarus back from the dead.

The proof is in the pudding. “If you do not believe me,” he says, “believe the works.”

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Jesus is so certain of his identity that he runs right into the middle of the storm. Surrounded by men with stones, he says to them, “I AM.”

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Lent is the time for us to join Jesus in the storm.

Although we’re not being threatened with death, how often do our instincts pressure us to shelve our identity?

In this Coronavirus crisis, for example, we’re all tempted to panic buy, to hoard, to be selfishly afraid.

Jesus, on the other hand, challenges us to be generous.

Even in ordinary times, we’re tempted to cling to grudges, to nurse a favorite sin, to puff up our ego.

But, again, Jesus says to us, “The greatest among you must be your servant.”

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Although our instincts may tell us to panic, to turn around, to save ourselves, Jesus reminds us that Christians put others first; they run right into the storm.

It’s there we’ll find our Lord.

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In these uncertain times it’s natural for all of us to live in some state of fear and anxiety, because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

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But there are two ways to combat these negative feelings.

The first is to be grateful. It sounds strange to say, but we still have so many things to be grateful for. 

Most of us still have our jobs, we have safe homes to live in, food on our shelves, and so many Americans working heroically around the clock to find a cure to the Coronavirus and to care for the sick. 

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We can also look back over other periods of uncertainty in our lives and see that God pulled us through. As it’s written in scripture, “God is faithful.”

He keeps his promises.

Abraham learns this, too, as we hear in our first reading. God promises to make of him a great nation with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. 

Today half of the world’s population calls Abraham their father in faith.

A reminder that God is faithful.

***

That gratitude then leads to trust. 

One way we demonstrate our trust in God is to be generous to others.

Namely, feeding those who are hungry today. Caring for those who are sick today. Reaching out to those who are lonely today. Donating to charitable causes today.

The opposite of such trust means hoarding our resources and supplies out of fear that we may run out tomorrow. 

But remember the words we pray every single day, “Give us this day, our daily bread.” Our faith is based on a God who provides our daily bread.

We don’t need to worry about tomorrow.

Just today.

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That’s easier said than done, I know. 

But we’d still benefit from trying to maintain an attitude of gratitude in these uncertain times, trusting that the Lord will provide for us each day, so long as we do our part in providing for others.

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Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, newspapers have been listing a series of books that you and I may want to consider reading in light of the times.

Examples range from Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Masque of the Red Death,” to Stephen King’s 1,200-page thriller, “The Stand.”

Each novel entertains the idea of some silent killer wreaking havoc on society.

While timely, these books begin collecting dust as soon as we’re finished; we know how they end. So we place them on the shelf, perhaps never to be read again.

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Then there are the classics, books appreciated generation after generation because of their brilliance, wisdom, and wit. 

Authors like Dante, Shakespeare, and T.S. Elliot come to mind.

Their insights into humanity are timeless.

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Beyond the classics is the bible.

It’s more than a page-turner, and more than a classic. It’s meant to be read again, and again, and again, because it best teaches us how to live our lives.

Soaking in the words of Jesus, in particular, is a must.

As he says in today’s Gospel, “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.”

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The word “disciple” comes from the Greek, “to learn.” To be Jesus’ disciple means to learn from him. 

So when was the last time I cracked open my bible or highlighted a particular passage? When did I last soak in the words of Jesus?

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Herein lies the difference between a novel like Stephen King’s, The Stand, and the bible. Both cost about 20 bucks on Amazon. 

But one ends up collecting dust on our shelf after reading it, while the other should be the most important point of reference in our lives. 

If we haven’t already, sit with the Word of God today for a few minutes.

Let Jesus speak to you.