Lent Week 5: Wednesday
(today’s reflection is from the Lenten readings and not from the Solemnity of the Annunciation; you may consult other sources for this great feast; the reflection below tries to be faithful to the continuous Lenten scriptural offerings; thanks for understanding)
TO BE TRULY FREE…
The three young men in the first reading from the prophet Daniel are encouraging symbols of real freedom. Confronted with a human law that defied the divine law, they acted in favor of their faith in God. Standing before King Nebuchadnezzar, remaining respectful and prudent, they proclaimed that above all else, God is their Savior, not any earthly potentate.
When they suffered the punishment meted out for opposing the king’s orders, they willingly submitted to it with full trust in the God to whom they professed their fidelity. Free from the pressure of their society, free from the shackles of terror and fear, free from the horror of agonizing death, they show us today how to be truly free when we serve the Lord above all. In the end, God sent his angel to protect them from the devouring flames and to vindicate them before the eyes of the king.
The Lord Jesus in the gospel of John proclaims a truth that sets people free. By following his words, by committing to his service, by fidelity to the way of love he taught, his disciples will experience the true freedom they seek. Jesus has come not to judge or condemn; he has come to liberate us from all things that oppress us and limit us to be the best version of ourselves.
It is not true freedom when we think we can do anything we like; it is authentic liberty to choose what is right and good and shun what is wrong and evil. For Jesus, freedom is primarily, detachment from sin, from selfishness, and from attachment to the material or human world.
To earn for us this life of grace, the Lord sacrificed himself on the Cross, the sinless dying for his guilty brothers and sisters. In these remaining days of Lent, let us endeavor to shake off our attachments to sin although this may not be easy; let us seek reconciliation with God and the people we have hurt also this may be painful; let us be brave to embrace the freedom of the three young men, the freedom to uphold our love for God in all times and in all circumstances.
