Lent Week 4: Friday
Do you really know?
“We know where he is from.” Some of the people were familiar with Jesus, and in particular, with his roots. Probably they heard he was from Nazareth; some must have known him as the carpenter’s son, or the son of Mary. They knew his clan and their background.
Materially speaking, they truly have information about the Lord Jesus’ origins. But one thing is missing. Spiritually, they had no idea of Jesus’ background. They did not know why he had come nor who it was that sent him. They had not the faintest idea of his relationship with the Father.
In the Gospel of John, at its very beginning, the Lord is described as the originator of life and that this life was the very light of the world, the light that will destroy the darkness of sin. Did the people know that Jesus was the light they were seeking, the light that they needed to clearly see that path they must take in life?
But the people against the Lord were living in darkness. This is the root of their hatred, of their ominous design to see him killed. The first reading from Wisdom reveals what goes on inside the minds of the wicked. They plot against those whose life is the antithesis of their evil existence. Unknowingly, they want to extinguish the only light that will enable them to be free.
In these days of Lent, we need to ask ourselves whether we truly know the Lord. Is he just a religious figure we are familiar with from our childhood? Is he a mere go-to when we have problems and difficulties? Or is he really the light that leads us out of darkness.
The light of Jesus is not here to punish. Whereas we are accustomed to the human pattern of sin-punishment-repentance-transformation, the Lord shines brightly his new pattern of divine love and forgiveness, sin-unconditional love-transformation-repentance and true conversion. The Lord is the light of transformation we need. He does not love us if we change, but rather, he loves us so that we can change.
In the disciplines of Lent, in prayer, sacrifice, charity, and above all, in Confession, let us draw closer to the light and allow that light to banish all dark areas of our lives.
