Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
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March 30, 2022“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear,
and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.” - John 5:30
Throughout our Scripture readings this week, Jesus is being badgered by everyone: people are asking for physical cures; his disciples do not want any talk of suffering and death; and the scribes and Pharisees are attempting to twist Jesus’ words.
Today we have a more positive slant on what God asks of each of us. Isaiah reminds us that the covenant of love given to us by God is to be shared with all people, especially those in need. When Isaiah talks about being imprisoned, it may not necessarily mean a physical prison. God wants to free us from our emotional and mental prisons—and those situations where we have imprisoned ourselves. And then, in endearing words, Isaiah describes this covenant of unconditional and deep love that God has for each one of us: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” Wow! What a declaration of unconditional love!
In today’s gospel, the community of John describes the great love that the Father and the Son have for each other. Jesus reinforces the fact that he does whatever his Father asks of him. In hindsight, we know that the Father asks Jesus for suffering and eventual death for our sakes. We, too, have suffering. What we need to discern is whether our suffering is of our own making through selfishness and sin; or do we suffer because we must say “no” to our inclination to sin? We sit with our God in quiet prayer and discern from whence comes our suffering.
Through Baptism, Eucharist, and Reconciliation we have been given the tools to discern what is of God and what is not. Isaiah has assured each us of God’s unconditional love. Lent is a good time to take inventory of our own love and our own motives. I share with you a Native American story to illustrate my point.
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside all of us. One wolf is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, superiority, lust, false ego.
“The other wolf inside us all is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, forgiveness, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, compassion, generosity, truth and faith. Both wolves are battling within us.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
Isn’t this the message that both Isaiah and Jesus are telling us in today’s readings? We have the tendencies to sin, but we also have grace, the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit to guide and nurture us? Which do we feed?
