29 March 2023
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
We live in a society that has an obsession on freedom: freedom of thought; freedom of expression; freedom of action. But we deny that what curtails freedom is sin. It enslaves us. Jesus alone gives us freedom because freedom is based on truth. He is the truth.
Given these facts, one my ask why he seemed to be so evasive with the scribes. They were asking good questions. But Jesus had identified himself through his words, teachings and miracles many times earlier. Why did they not pay attention to him? Did prejudice close their minds to recognizing and acknowledging the truth? That is a question only the Lord can answer. I shouldn’t try.
Today we seem surrounded by many with the scribe-like stance. While denying truth and shutting out the Gospel, they stress diversity, equality and inclusion as the foundations of justice, peace and love. Doesn’t Christ’s answer to the scribes in today’s Gospel help us in our dealings with them?
Resolve: Today I shall spend some time praying for honest people who do not know God, that Christ will treat them as he treated the woman at the well, answering their honest questions with patience, understanding and love. And I shall ask for the grace to pray for them every day, that Christ will reveal to them the truth they seek.