Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent (March 17, 2018): Have you suffered the sting of rejection?

Thứ Sáu, 16-03-2018 | 16:00:53

Today’s Readings:

Jeremiah 11:18-20
Ps 7:2-3,9bc-12
John 7:40-53
usccb.org/bible/readings/031718.cfm

USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_03_17.mp3

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

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.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.”
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
“Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?”
They answered and said to him,
“You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

Then each went to his own house.

Reflection for Saturday: Have you suffered the sting of rejection?

So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. (From Saturday’s Gospel reading)

Discover the hidden joy in the sacrifice you made.

One of the sacrifices we make for Christ is rejection by friends and family and co-workers due to our faith. To be “holy” means to be different from the world. Counter-cultural. Making no compromises in the moral teachings of the Church. Being bold and daring enough, and confident in Christ enough, and in love with God enough to stand firm in what is right and true regardless of the consequences.

This is not easy. No sacrifice is easy or else it is not truly sacrificial. And today’s world preaches that sacrifices are a bad thing. We are hearing from every direction, except the Church, that instead of making sacrifices we should cater to ourselves, our desires, and our ideas of what’s right and what’s wrong. Because of this, making sacrifices today is more distasteful than ever!

It takes a lot of self-discipline to make sacrifices without complaining and grumbling. I, too, struggle with this, so God in his great mercy has been helping me. The Lenten exercise that he gave me is a very restrictive diet. No meat on Fridays? That’s easy! How about no meat at all during Lent. And no sweets (except dark chocolate, of course). There’s a long list of foods that are on my “no-no” list due to the pursuit of natural healing from rheumatoid arthritis in my hands. If it were not for the pain caused by eating certain foods, I would have little self-discipline (okay, I’ll be honest, no lasting self-discipline) for this type of sacrifice. Pain is a powerful teacher.

Someday, this will build in me greater strength for other sacrifices.

Sacrifices conquer the devil.

The devil has gained a lot of territory in my society and many others. God is preparing us, his people, to win the territory back for Christ and for Christian values. As Romans 5:20 says, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. But he has chosen not to do it by himself. We are all part of the Body of Christ, and God is calling upon all of us to make sacrifices for the continuation of his salvation plan. Are you willing to go to the cross with Jesus? Are you willing to imitate him so much that others persecute you? Is your faith noticeable enough that you have been rejected by friends, family, or co-workers? I’ve lost a son. I’ve lost friends. I’ve even lost Good News Ministries team members. It hurts quite a lot, but guess what. The sting of rejection and the sorrow we feel over the condition of their souls is but a tiny taste of the sorrow that God feels for them. We are privileged to share in this with Christ. And this sharing is a source of indescribable joy! I can personally attest to that.

As explained in Hebrews 12:2-3, keep your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of your faith. He understood the joy of enduring the cross, scorning its shame, because he knew his place of victory on the right hand of the throne of God our Father. (In scripture, the “right hand” means power, and “the throne of God” means authority.) Keep your eyes on him who endured tremendous opposition from sinners, and you will not grow weary and lose heart.

One of my greatest joys is helping others who have suffered rejection, abandonment, and heartbreaks to learn how to experience the joy of sacrifice. It shows up in many of the videos I make. I’m praying for more opportunities to go out and provide this help via retreats and parish missions. If you can help make this happen, be God’s instrument! Please contact me: gnm.org/contact-Terry-Modica/.

Tags: Fourth Week of Lent, Good News Reflection, Holy Gospel according to John.