All 4 volumes are available in paperback & eBook format!
Amazon – Google Play – iTunes – Barnes and Noble – and more!
Spiritual Sight Restored
The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A)
(Note: This Gospel is also optional for Years B & C with Scrutinies.)
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” John 9:1–3
Imagine being blind throughout your life and then suddenly being healed. All of the sounds you had heard from childhood, all that you had touched, tasted, or smelled suddenly took on new form within your imagination as these images registered with sight for the first time. Colors suddenly made sense. Large items, such as trees that you had only heard in the wind and touched with your hands, could be seen from a distance, glimmering in the sunlight. Your mind suddenly perceived in a new way the utensils, clothing, and other items you used daily. Just as the blind man was filled with awe at receiving his sight, so too is the soul overwhelmed when freed from the blindness of sin and brought into the light of God’s grace.
The healed blind man was given a gift that those who can see from birth are not. Perceiving and understanding the physical world only through four of his senses, and then adding the powerful fifth sense of sight later in life, provided immediate wonder and awe, filling him with profound gratitude for something most of us take for granted.
Think of a person who lives a sinful life for many years and understands life only through the distortions of sin and selfishness. Once set free from sin, the person’s spiritual eyes are opened. Those who experience such a conversion are given a blessing that those who have been faithful throughout their lives do not receive in the same way. They understand the contrast between spiritual blindness and sight, and the newfound freedom they receive after conversion provides a greater understanding of the gift of God’s grace and its transforming effects. They will never forget the weight of bondage once caused by their sin.
One reason God permitted this man to be born blind and live that way into adulthood was to illustrate the contrast between spiritual darkness and light. This is part of what Jesus means when He says this man was born blind “so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” The miracle not only illustrated Jesus’ divine power but also symbolized the much deeper spiritual healing He offers to all. Just as the blind man received physical sight, we are offered the gift of spiritual sight through grace.
We are born with poor spiritual sight. Our fallen human nature, which suffers from concupiscence, tends toward selfishness and sin. Although capable of love and affection, a child is prone to selfishness, anger, emotional outbursts, and other “childish” behavior. Over time, with the guidance of good mentors, children begin to understand the value of greater patience and selfless acts of love, kindness, and generosity. Those who are not well-formed as adolescents or who choose to rebel selfishly in their later years never gain a clearer spiritual sight. The world around them remains blurry, and divine wisdom never penetrates their eyes of faith.
The story of the man born blind is an opportunity for each of us to examine how clearly we perceive our lives and the world around us. Just as the man was healed, we need healing from the blindness caused by our fallen nature. God’s grace restores our spiritual sight, allowing His light to illuminate all we encounter in life.
Reflect today on your own need to see more clearly. We need our spiritual sight restored and sharpened if we are to perceive ourselves and our world with divine Wisdom. It takes humility to admit we have poor spiritual sight, and profound humility to admit if we are spiritually blinded by sin. Learn from the wonder and awe that this healed blind man experienced, and know that our Lord wants us to have clearer spiritual vision.
My healing Lord, because of my fallen human nature and my sin, I often fail to see the light of truth with clarity. Please heal me, as You healed this blind man, so that I will understand my life and Your will more clearly and be filled with wonder and awe at the reception of that gift. Jesus, I trust in You.
Transformed by True Love
The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year B)
(Note: When the Scrutinies are used at Mass, the reflection for Year A may be used in place of this one.)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” John 3:16
Life is made for love. But what kind of love? “Love” can have many meanings. On a purely natural level, the emotion of love is referred to as a “concupiscible appetite.” It’s an emotion that is oriented toward that which is perceived as pleasant or desirable, though this perception can sometimes be flawed. It comes naturally when our five senses encounter something we perceive as good and desirable.
When our discernment is flawed, we can have an emotional “love” for something, even if it is sinful or harmful for us. Lust is a prime example, as is gluttony or greed. In each of those sins, when a person wrongly perceives someone or something in an impure, indulgent, or selfish way, that person manifests an emotional love and desire for the person or thing.
When we understand love on a natural emotional level, we realize that even though our emotions are good in and of themselves, they can become disordered if they are not guided by God through our human reason and virtue. Therefore, the emotion of love must be purified and elevated by grace and truth so that even our emotions align with God and His holy will, which is the ultimate Good we must seek.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of the Father’s love for us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” This is not an emotional love, such as we humans experience. The Father’s love is perfectly spiritual, self-giving, and sacrificial. God’s love is pure charity that seeks only the good of those whom He loves—us.
Jesus goes on to say that the nature of the Father’s love is such that He gave His only Son to the world. This was done by His own free will out of charity. Why? So that we might have faith in Him and in His mission and inherit eternal life through the gift of His Sacrifice on the Cross.
Jesus concludes this discourse with a beautiful invitation to us not only to receive the Father’s love, but also to participate in it: “Whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” There are three essential components to that line. First, we must “live the truth.” Jesus doesn’t only say we must believe the truth; rather, we must live it. Hence, to believe in the Father’s love is far more than an intellectual assent. It’s a reception of His truth into our humanity. This reception transforms us, reorders our human reason, and invites us to live in accord with that divine love we have received. When this happens, even our emotions are eventually transformed to love what God loves.
Second, living the truth brings us “into the light.” In other words, the clarity we receive by receiving the Father’s charity into our lives dispels all confusion and darkness, enabling us to see as God sees. This is wisdom.
Finally, this transformation in divine love enables our “works” to “be clearly seen as done in God.” In other words, God does not just inspire us to do good by our own effort. Instead, He does the good in us and through us, as we freely cooperate with His grace. Divine charity takes hold of us, and we participate by grace in God’s selfless charity.
Reflect today on your understanding of love. What do you love? What guides your love? We are called to allow God’s divine charity to permeate us so completely that every desire and emotion aligns with God’s will. We not only choose the true goods, as orchestrated by God, we also emotionally love to live charitably in God, with His grace and guidance. Surrender yourself more fully to charity today so that every form of sinful and selfish love is transformed by grace.
Most loving Lord, there are many things I love in a selfish and emotional way that are contrary to Your perfect will. Please purify me by Your Truth and charity so that I am freed from all selfishness and am transformed by the charity You offer me, so as to become an instrument of that gift to others. Jesus, I trust in You.
Rejection and Hurt
The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year C)
(Note: When the Scrutinies are used at Mass, the reflection for Year A may be used in place of this one.)
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. Luke 15:11–13
Imagine, if in this parable of the Prodigal Son, when the wayward son asked his father for his share of his inheritance, the father reacted with outrage and gave his son his inheritance but then told him never to come back. In that scenario, the ending of this parable would have been much different.
By asking for his share of the inheritance, the younger son essentially informed the father that he was dead to him. He no longer wished to maintain their familial bond, nor did he care if his father might need him in old age. Instead, he rejected his father and turned his back on him in the most extreme way possible. Such rejection, especially from one’s child, brings deep hurt.
What makes this parable so powerful is that the son’s rejection of the father did not lead to the father’s retribution or wrath. Though rejected, the father did not return the rejection. Instead, his love remained constant. The father did not allow his son’s abandonment to extinguish his affection. He patiently awaited his son’s return, hoping that mercy, rather than condemnation, would one day restore their bond. This posture of love enabled the father to express a depth of compassion far greater than if the son had never left at all.
When we experience any form of hurtful behavior from another, the temptation to react with anger is strong. When our pride is wounded, our dignity abused, or our love ignored, such pain provides us with a choice. It is difficult to remain neutral in these situations. Either we will react with rejection and anger, or we will receive the wound with love, allowing it to deepen our charity in response.
Loving in the face of rejection, while bearing the deep wounds inflicted by others, requires a profound level of grace. In such moments, our emotions must not be our primary guide. Instead, our emotions must come under the control of mercy and forgiveness. The truth of God’s compassion must flood our minds, directing us to make a loving response, and grace must strengthen our wills to act with charity. This is only possible if we remain in prayer, listen to God’s voice, and seek His help to overcome our natural inclination toward anger or resentment.
Just as the father’s heart remained open to his wayward son, so too are we called to keep our hearts open to those who hurt us. This, however, is not easy. Like the father, we must rely on a profound charity that surpasses mere emotion. In the end, the son in the parable returned home to his father because he knew his father loved him, despite all he had done. Because the father had responded to his son’s initial rejection with mercy rather than condemnation, he was later rewarded with the return of his son. The open arms of the father, offered to his sorrowful son, resulted in a much stronger bond than if the son had never left at all.
The lesson is clear. When we are sinned against, we must perceive such sin as an opportunity to love, rather than focusing on our own wounds. Rejection, and every other form of sin committed against us, has the potential to be transformed into charity in our lives. This is most perfectly illustrated by the fact that the greatest evil ever committed in this world—the torture and murder of the Son of God—was transformed into the greatest good ever known. That evil became the source of eternal life for sinners because He responded to that evil with perfect love.
Reflect today on any way that you have been rejected or sinned against to the point that it has deeply hurt you. Don’t reject that pain or let it turn into anger. Instead, pray for divine wisdom, unite it to Christ’s Cross, choose to love in the face of hate, forgive, show mercy, and have hope. Doing so makes you a participant in Jesus’ saving act of love and might even become the instrument by which the one who sinned against you returns to God.
Most loving Lord, though You had every right to condemn those who rejected and crucified You, You cried out from the Cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Please give me the wisdom to participate in Your love, showering it upon all who have sinned against me. I forgive them, dear Lord, just as You have forgiven me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Miracles and Faith
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. John 4:48–50
What is the most precious gift our Lord could give to you? If your spouse, child, or close friend were gravely ill, would a miracle be the gift you sought? If your financial situation were dire, would you ask for monetary assistance? If you were suffering from a chronic disease, would your prayer be for a cure?
Though we should entrust these situations to God’s grace, it’s important to understand that the gift of faith far surpasses any immediate miracle, assistance, or relief we might seek. Faith is a most precious gift because it enables us to turn away from our limited assessment of earthly situations and be open to God’s wisdom, which far surpasses anything we could conceive of by ourselves.
Though Jesus performed many miracles, He regularly challenged those whose faith was based on their desire for signs and wonders. In today’s Gospel, a royal official, likely of high rank, traveled from Capernaum to Cana, about twenty miles, because his child was dying. His journey illustrates faith in Jesus’ divine authority, but his faith was imperfect—he believed Jesus had to be physically present to heal his son. Jesus heals the child from a distance, but He also challenges the official and the crowd: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Jesus desires a faith that trusts in His word, not one that depends on visible signs.
When we pray with a litany of requests, God in His mercy hears us. Sometimes He grants them, and sometimes He doesn’t. But He wants us to know that such prayers are not the ideal. God already knows our needs better than we do. He knows our struggles within family, finances, health, and every other detail of our lives.
The ideal prayer is one of adoration and trust. It’s a prayer that surrenders everything to God without dictating the outcome. It trusts God’s wisdom more than our own, enabling us to rest in His loving care, unburdened by our difficulties.
The royal official’s faith grew when he believed Jesus’ word without needing Him to be physically present. This is evident when he learned that his son was healed at the exact time Jesus said, “Your son will live.” The official’s faith was deepened, and his whole household came to believe. This shows how true faith, once rooted in trust, grows and spreads to others.
If this man’s faith had not matured, it could have been lost if another crisis arose and no miracle followed. A deeper faith rests in God’s will, whether or not another miracle occurs. The same is true for us. Our faith must not depend on God’s answer to our prayers. If He allows suffering, we must trust Him. If He heals, we must trust Him. Our faith must remain strong, rooted in Who God is, not in what He does.
Reflect today on the depth of your faith and how it shapes your prayers. Believe, worship God for who He is, love Him above all else, and trust His perfect will. Then entrust yourself and your loved ones to His providence, believing that God knows what is best.
My miraculous Lord, You are all-powerful and capable of anything You will. Please grant me a depth of faith that enables me to trust You more than I trust myself. May I always believe in You and worship You, not because of the favors You do for me, but because of Who You are. Jesus, I trust in You.
Divine Initiative and Intervention
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. John 5:6–8
Let us begin by imagining the overwhelming joy of this man, who was healed after he had been ill for thirty-eight years. He lay on a mat near the Pool of Bethesda, a place where tradition held that the first to enter the water after it was stirred would be healed. Some later traditions associated the stirring of the waters with the Archangel Raphael, whose name means ‘healing of God.’ While Scripture does not link Raphael to this story, his healing nature from other biblical traditions makes the association meaningful for reflection.
When Jesus approaches the paralyzed man and asks, “Do you want to be well?” the question seems almost unnecessary. Who wouldn’t desire healing after suffering for so long? Yet this question points to a deeper reality—one that transcends physical illness. The man’s condition and Jesus’ question symbolize the spiritual paralysis that can afflict any soul trapped in habitual sin. Just as the man could not heal himself, so too are we unable to free ourselves from the weight of sin without divine intervention. Jesus asks us the same question today: Do we truly want to be freed from our spiritual paralysis?
The man’s response to Jesus also reveals an important truth. He says, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me” (John 5:7). This admission reflects a deep hopelessness that those who struggle with habitual sin often experience. Years of failure to overcome sin can lead to discouragement, even resignation. But this very discouragement is where grace begins to work. In acknowledging our inability to heal ourselves, we open the door to Christ’s healing power.
Perhaps Jesus chose this man precisely because he had lost all hope. After thirty-eight years of suffering, he had no one to help him and no expectation of healing. Yet Jesus, in His mercy, intervened. This is a powerful message for all who struggle with sin and despair of overcoming it: There is always hope in Christ. He takes the initiative when we cannot, bringing healing where we least expect it.
Picture Christ coming to you today, asking, “Do you want to be well?” Our response should mirror the man’s humility: Lord, I am powerless to free myself from my sin. In this admission of weakness, we allow Christ to work in us. It is through our humility that we prepare to receive His grace.
Reflect today on any sin—whether venial or grave—that has become a habitual part of your life. Have you grown resigned to these sins, thinking they are impossible to overcome? Are there sins you have become so accustomed to that you no longer recognize their spiritual harm? Christ asks you today: Do you want to be healed? Acknowledge your weakness, confess your inability to heal yourself, and wait on the Lord. Be attentive, and you will see He is already taking divine initiative, working in ways you might not yet realize.
My attentive Lord, You are fully aware of my sin and the burden it imposes upon me. You come to me night and day, asking if I want to be well. Please help me to be attentive to You and Your gentle invitations. Help me to have hope that I can change, grow closer to You, and become the saint You want me to become. Jesus, I trust in You.
Doing the Father’s Work
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. John 5:17–18
The context of today’s Gospel is important. The lines above come at the conclusion of the story of Jesus healing the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda. The man had been crippled for thirty-eight years, and Jesus healed him, telling the man, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk” (John 5:8). Though the miracle was awe-inspiring, the rigid Pharisees quickly chastised the man for carrying his mat, which they saw as a violation of the Sabbath law.
While God commanded through Moses, “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), it was the Pharisees who created lengthy and detailed interpretations of that commandment. They identified numerous forms of work they believed were forbidden, including carrying a mat.
When Jesus healed the man and told him to rise and pick up his mat, the Pharisees believed Jesus violated the Law of Moses in two ways. First, they claimed that the healing itself was a form of work and thus a violation of the Sabbath. Second, they saw Jesus’ instruction to the man to pick up his mat as a disregard for the prohibition against work, encouraging the man to break the Sabbath.
To us, such condemnations may seem extreme and legalistic, but to the Pharisees, Jesus acted unlawfully and they began to persecute Him.
What is useful to ponder is Jesus’ response to this criticism. When someone criticizes us, we might become defensive, respond in kind with criticism, or even backtrack in our actions. Criticism and persecution can tempt us to fear, and that fear can pressure us into compliance to avoid consequences. Jesus, however, did not take this approach.
Instead, Jesus reaffirms His divine authority to perform works of mercy on the Sabbath, declaring Himself Lord of the Sabbath. He says, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” In other words, Jesus connects His work of healing with the ongoing work of the Father, the source of the Law. If His act of healing came from the Father—the One who gave the Ten Commandments—then His healing could not be a violation of the Law.
The rest of today’s Gospel is a longer discourse on this point: “The Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also.” Jesus declares His oneness with the Father, revealing their perfect unity of being and action. This unity, rooted in their shared divine nature, is central to our understanding of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—consubstantial and eternally one in being.
Jesus’ goal was not to defend Himself against the Pharisees’ criticism or to resolve the conflict. His goal was to proclaim the truth, even though it would further enrage the Pharisees. He did not fear their judgment, was not intimidated by their condemnation, and did not allow their rigid legalism to stop Him. Instead, He spoke clearly and openly to them about the truth, in love.
Reflect today on how you handle rash judgment, criticism, and false accusations. Do you let criticism lead to fear or anxiety? Do you respond with anger or try to defend yourself? Or do you confront errors with truth, sharing that truth with love and confidence? Fear and anger come in many forms and can deeply affect the way we relate to others. Though they are different emotions, they are often interwoven, emerging together in our hearts. Pray that God will dispel all fear and replace anger with courage and truth. Like Jesus, we must speak and act in communion with the Father’s will, rejecting the intimidation and manipulation of those who falsely accuse us.
Most Holy Father in Heaven, You sent us Your divine Son to dwell among us and be our Savior. All that Your Son did was in union with You, fulfilling Your glorious works. Please adopt me as Your child so that I will also fulfill Your will, becoming a greater instrument of Your works in the world. Most Holy Trinity, I trust in You.
Miracles Within Your Soul
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
“The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.” John 5:36–38
Why do you believe in God? Why do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, and the Savior of the World? You might not have seen Him perform miracles. It’s unlikely that Jesus has appeared to you in physical form, declaring that He is God. What you do have are the Scriptures, which tell the story of Jesus who walked the earth 2,000 years ago. But why do you believe what you read?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus confronts the disbelief of the Pharisees. They began persecuting Him and accusing Him of breaking the Sabbath because He healed a paralytic and told him to carry his mat and walk. The Pharisees, strictly observing the Sabbath law, viewed this as “work” and a violation of the Law of Moses. Instead of recognizing the miracle, they focused on legalism.
In His response, Jesus explains why the Jews should believe in Him: His works and miracles testify that He was sent by the Father. Only God can perform such miracles, so Jesus’ actions reveal that He is fulfilling the Father’s will. The Pharisees’ hardened hearts and stubbornness prevented them from seeing the truth—they couldn’t accept that Jesus was the Messiah.
Returning to the original question: Why do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Have you seen physical miracles that prove His divinity? Most likely not. So why do you believe?
People believe in God for different reasons, but not all reasons lead to authentic faith. Some believe because they were raised in the faith—they grew up hearing the Scriptures, attending Mass, and receiving the sacraments. While this is a good foundation, it’s not the fullness of faith. Faith becomes authentic when it goes beyond tradition and enters into a personal relationship with Jesus.
To have genuine faith, you need a personal encounter with Jesus. This encounter doesn’t usually come in the form of miracles, but through the transformative work He does within your soul. When Jesus walked the earth, He performed outward signs and wonders. Today, He reveals Himself in a more profound way—by working miracles of grace within us, deepening our faith and transforming our hearts.
These spiritual miracles are not visible, but they are just as real as the physical miracles Jesus performed. When God frees you from sin, heals your spiritual wounds, and gives you peace, you experience His supernatural work within you. These inner transformations are the foundation of authentic faith.
Reflect today on the miracles God has worked in your soul. Have you felt His presence freeing you from sin, lifting spiritual blindness, or feeding you with His grace? These are the miracles that matter most because they lead you to deeper faith and union with God. While physical miracles still happen, the most profound ones take place in the hidden depths of our souls, drawing us closer to Him.
My miraculous Lord, though You performed many miracles while You walked the earth, many refused to believe. Today, You continue to work miracles in the depths of my soul, healing, freeing, and transforming me. Help me to recognize Your work in my life and trust in Your power. Open my heart to Your grace so that I may believe more fully and embrace Your transforming love. Jesus, I trust in You.
Dismissing False Expectations
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” John 7:25–27
Though Jesus was perfect, His sermons flawless, and His miracles astonishing, many remained hardened in their disbelief. People of the time had various expectations about the Messiah. Some were looking for a mysterious, heavenly figure; others, a political leader; still others envisioned the Messiah would suddenly appear without prior knowledge of His origins. These expectations were all based on an incomplete understanding of the prophets.
The Messiah’s arrival uprooted many of the preconceived ideas about who He would be. He arrived as a poor carpenter, raised in the unimpressive village of Nazareth, and without any ambitions to overthrow the Roman occupation of Israel. Yet, Jesus performed miracles. His sermons penetrated hearts, winning over many humble converts. His mere presence exuded confidence, purpose, and dignity. Could He really be the Messiah?
Just like the people of Jesus’ time, it is easy for us to develop preconceived ideas about Who God is and how our lives should change once we choose to follow Him. If you give your life to Christ, what do you expect from Him? Do you expect that God will bless you with great success in business? Your children will love and obey God? Your family and friends will be perfectly united? Material provisions will enable you to live a comfortable life? Or do you expect rejection, suffering, and death? We must always align our expectations with God’s will, knowing that His ultimate plan is for our salvation.
Some of the Jews rejected Jesus because He did not meet their expectations of Who the Messiah would be. The particular group in today’s Gospel held the belief that the Messiah would arrive on the scene instantaneously, and no one would know where He came from. Their comment, “But we know where He is from,” reflects their disbelief, as they were expecting a more mysterious or sudden appearance. That misunderstanding of the prophets resulted in them rejecting Jesus, the true Messiah.
Similarly, it is easy for us to have certain expectations about God that, when not fulfilled, lead to doubt or confusion. This is our fault for forming false expectations about what should happen once we choose to follow Christ. The remedy is simple—turn to the Gospel and believe what Jesus said.
What did Jesus say? That He would suffer greatly at the hands of the scribes, Pharisees, and elders of the people. That He would be handed over, tortured, and crucified, but that He would also rise on the third day. And that is exactly what happened.
When we choose to follow Christ, does Jesus promise that life will be easy, comfortable, and that we will be loved by all? Certainly not. He tells us that we will suffer the same fate He did, but if we persevere through the crosses of life, we will share in His ultimate victory.
Reflect today on any false notions you might have about being a Christian. Embracing the Gospel—culminating in Christ’s Passion—is difficult. The call to live sacrificially, to lay our lives down for others, to do penance, live selflessly, be generous, repent of every sin, pray continuously, and embrace Christ’s Cross with unwavering determination is difficult at first. Doing so is only possible if we dismiss false expectations about being a Christian, so that the full Gospel and its demands will not shock us but inspire us to follow Christ down the path He has chosen for us.
My Lord and Messiah, Your life and mission did not live up to the expectations that many people had of the Messiah. Similarly, I often have expectations of You that are contrary to Your will. Please open my mind and heart to see and embrace Your will so that I can lay down my life along with You, so as to share in Your Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You.
Trusting in God’s Providence
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. John 7:40–43
Today’s Gospel takes place on the last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths. This annual celebration was one of three major feasts when many Jews made a pilgrimage to the Temple. For seven days, they lived in temporary shelters—booths—as a reminder of God’s providence and protection during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. It was also a time to give thanks for the year’s harvest, recognizing God’s ongoing provision.
The eighth day, following the seven days of Sukkot, was known as Shemini Atzeret, a solemn assembly focused on prayers, especially for rain for the coming year’s crops—another acknowledgment of dependence on God. It was likely during this festival that “Jesus stood up and exclaimed, ‘Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink’” (John 7:37). That exclamation comes just prior to today’s Gospel, which shows the varied responses of the people who heard Jesus’ words.
The context of the Feast of Tabernacles and its religious meaning are crucial to understanding the significance of Jesus’ declaration. One of the central rituals of Sukkot was the daily water-drawing ceremony in which water from the Pool of Siloam was carried to the Temple and poured out before the altar. This act symbolized thanksgiving for God’s provision of water during the Israelites’ time in the wilderness and a prayer for rain for the crops. It also evoked messianic hope, recalling prophetic visions of spiritual renewal when living water would flow from the Temple: “I saw water flowing out from under the threshold of the temple” (Ezekiel 47:1–12) and “fresh water will flow from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8).
By this time, many scribes, Pharisees, and religious leaders were already plotting against Jesus. They condemned Him for performing miracles on the Sabbath, speaking with divine authority, and making claims that suggested equality with God. There was much speculation about whether Jesus would attend the festival, and He did, initially in secret (John 7:10). By the middle of the feast, He appeared publicly in the Temple, boldly preaching and teaching. On the final day, He identified Himself as the source of the living water that would quench the spiritual thirst of God’s people, fulfilling the ancient prophecies. This caused an uproar, leading to divided reactions.
Some believed He was “the Prophet” or “the Christ.” Others doubted, knowing Jesus was from Nazareth, and the Messiah was expected to come from Bethlehem. This shows that many were unaware that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and was a descendant of David’s line.
This Feast of Tabernacles occurred about six months before the Feast of Passover, when Jesus would be arrested and crucified. In the intervening months, the controversy surrounding Him deepened as the religious leaders continued plotting, while Jesus performed more miracles and delivered urgent teachings about the need to believe in Him as the Messiah. In some ways, the Feast of Tabernacles marked the beginning of the end.
Reflect today on the controversy Jesus sparked at the Feast of Tabernacles. Each of us must choose a side. There is no room for middle ground. Either Jesus is the Messiah, and we must follow Him wholeheartedly, or He is not. There is no place for complacency or mediocrity. Jesus is the Living Water, the one and only source of divine provision. Stand with Him and be counted among those who boldly proclaim Him as the Christ of God, so that He may provide for you, just as He sustained the Israelites during their forty years in the desert.
My providential Lord, You and You alone are the source of Living Water that refreshes and renews my soul. Only in You do I find eternal salvation, for You are the Messiah and Christ of God. Please give me courage and wisdom so that I will trust You and rely upon Your ongoing providence in my life. Jesus, I do trust in You.
All 4 volumes are available in paperback & eBook format!
Amazon – Google Play – iTunes – Barnes and Noble – and more!
