Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Reading I: Wisdom 2:1a, 12–22
Psalm: 34:17–18, 19–20, 21, 23
Gospel: John 7:1–2, 10, 25–30

Today’s prophetic first reading is an eerie portent of the Good Friday which awaits us two weeks from now. Already in the writings of pagan antiquity, there was discussion of what might happen if ever a truly just man was to appear.
Even after the coming of Christ, the stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius could declare in the second century AD that “the infallible man does not exist.”Some six hundred years earlier, Plato had made the argument that even if such a man could exist, he would never be allowed to endure. As the character Glaucon describes in Book II of the Republic, the perfect man “shall be scourged, tortured, bound, his eyes burnt out, and at last, after suffering every evil, shall be impaled or crucified.”9 As Christians, we realize that Plato was more correct than he could ever have imagined.

Similarly, in the first reading from Wisdom we hear of a man who “professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord” (Wis 2:13). But, we despise Him. Why? Because, “He became to us a reproof of our thoughts” (Wis 2:14). And for this reason we, “condemn him to a shameful death” (Wis 2:20). In the presence of Goodness, evil feels confused, called out, and threatened.
We can feel that way, too, in our own lives, especially when we have put ourselves in a place of sin. Perhaps prayer or even repentance seems futile to us in such moments; we are so fed up with our frailty and weakness, and we are convinced that there is nothing for us to say to God in the midst of our sin.
Today’s readings are a reminder, however, that God truly became one of us, and He continued to long for us even when we were nailing Him to the Cross: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Ps 34:18).

Do I make a habit of praying for at least fifteen minutes every day, even on those days when I feel downcast, distracted, or unworthy?

How do I plan to keep my prayer life strong these last two weeks of Lent?

Reference:

Journey Through Lent: Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings by Clement Harrold