A Reflection for the Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Today’s readings center around the persecution of Jesus and offer us the promise of God’s presence amidst our struggles of being Christian in a post-Christian world.
The first reading tells us why the “wicked” reject the Son of God, and in doing so, it speaks honestly about the challenges of accepting Christ whole-heartedly. Following Christ means a radical conformation to the will of God. The first reading tells us that even our thoughts are to be conformed to God and that our lives are not to be like the lives of others. Although we as Catholics try to extend the love and mercy of God to everyone, this reading reminds us that we won’t always be accepted by the people around us. Encountering God is an uncomfortable experience precisely because it calls us out of ourselves and towards God. Catholic author Flannery O’Connor said, “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” When we are called to stand for the uncomfortable truths of our faith in a culture that compromises them, other people may dislike us. A priest friend of my family once told my dad, “You know you’re doing the right thing when you experience the right amount of persecution.”
Even though the first reading paints a grim picture, we can take hope because of Jesus. Ven. Fulton Sheen speaks of the Cross of Christ as a Sign of Contradiction because the way of God is so different from the way of this world. Being “Signs of Contradiction” in this world does not mean being belligerent or pharisaical. Instead, witnessing to Christ demands a continual conversion, a deepening of our love for God and a broadening of our love for others, including those who disagree with us.
The Responsorial Psalm and Gospel assure us that God alone is enough. The psalmist promises that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” Jesus in the Gospel continues to minister to the people who are trying to kill him, telling them, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Recognizing our identity as children of the Father is key to bringing the love of God into a sometimes-hostile world. The love and knowledge of God is enough for our happiness, and the great gift of this love is what impels us to share the joy of the Gospel with others. Evangelization is the outpouring of love from our interior life and relationship with Christ.
This Lent, let us ask ourselves how we are called to be Signs of Contradiction on Yale’s campus. Maybe this is as simple as making the Sign of the Cross and saying Grace before meals in the dining halls. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ.” Where are we called to bring Christ’s presence? And when we aren’t rewarded with praise or popularity, will God’s love be enough for us?
