Be The Good Soil

- Mark 4 -

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

Reading 1 Dn 3:25, 34-43

Responsorial Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

Gospel Mt 18:21-35

The faith-filled figure of Azariah in today’s first reading is an example of what it means to continue to trust God even when everything has gone awry. One can almost hear the mournful anguish in his voice: “For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day. . . . We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits” (Dan 3:38, NABRE). For context, Azariah is speaking all this from the depths of the furnace, having been sentenced there by the evil King Nebuchadnezzar. This is the same king who a few years earlier had led his armies in the conquering of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple. Hence Azariah is living at a time when his homeland has been devastated, his people have been exiled, and the very meeting place of God and man (that is, the temple) has been destroyed. And yet, notice how his prayer begins and ends with trust.


Both the first reading and the Gospel remind us today that it is all too easy to trust God when things are going well in our lives. True faith, however, is that which persists even when trials arise. We must be vigilant in making sure we do not become so comfortable in our Christianity and our modern way of life that we start to forget all the ways in which we have been recipients of God’s mercy. Like Azariah, we should continually cling to the Lord, recognizing that without Him we are nothing.

Reference:

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

No responses yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *