The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, March 10, 2004
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Exodus 32:7-14
Psalm 106:19-23
John 5:31-47

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"If you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because. . ."
(see John 5:46)

Periodically some scripture scholars and theologians team up to expose biblical inconsistencies, presumably to cast doubts on the faithfuls' naive beliefs about God and His Christ. Their approach examines individual trees while losing sight of the forest. Biblical details may differ, depending on their "reporter," but its central theme remains intact throughout. Scripture traces man's fall from innocence into sin but not without hope.

At the proper time, when God's law had been perverted to mere legalistic rules devoid of His love and truth, He sent His Son, God in human flesh, to die in our place as the final perfect sacrifice restoring us to friendship with the Father. Having put our old life to death, Christ rose again to offer us a new life--the ability to live, through grace, in His goodness and holiness. Through thousands of years God had shown His chosen people His saving power to prepare them to receive their Messiah; yet, the most influential religious leaders in Christ's time had become essentially faithless and therefore remained blind to His Divinity.

Jesus attempts to open their eyes regarding His divine identity. He cited the ancient prophets and John the Baptist's words to prove it; He pointed to His miracles as evidence of God at work; also at His Baptism in the Jordan, God clearly identified Him as His Son. Through Jesus, salvation is offered by God to the entire world. However, unless we accept His gift and, through faith, make it our own by working it out in our daily lives, we cannot enter into His heavenly kingdom. To believe in Christ means that we must allow Him through His Spirit to transform us inwardly, that we may live in God's love and truth.

O Saving God,
by enabling us to live in Your peace, purity and joy,
help us to intensify Christ's light in this world
and so draw many others to Him.
Amen.

- Marie Bocko, OCDS
(mlbocko at earthlink dot net)

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posted by joachim at 4:54 AM