Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28 / John
8:31-42
Jesus talks about his teaching: “Keep
my word and you will know the truth.”
It has been said that some truths
can be verified as being truthful only by living them out. Jesus has something
like this in mind when he says in today’s reading: “If you live according to my
teaching ... then you will know the truth.” In other words, the truth of what
Jesus says will be discovered in the process of living it out. For example, by
forgiving your enemy, you discover this is the right thing to do. By praying
for those who wrong you, you discover this is the right thing to do. By not
passing judgment on your neighbor, you discover this is the right thing to do.
****
Do our doubts about the teaching of
Jesus arise from our failure to live out his teaching? “If you wish to be
convinced of eternal truths, do not augment your arguments, but weed out your
passions.” Blaise Pascal
****
The fiery furnace of tribulation is
something we will come across in our lives. Not just once, but many times. It is in this fiery
furnace that our faith in God is tested, our faith in prayer is tested, our
faith in others is tested, and our faith in ourselves is tested. The fiery
furnace comes in all forms: the loss of a job, the hurt form a broken or
painful relationship, ill-treatment and accusations from others, etc. And, we
often get trapped in the flames of doubt, despair, anger and resentment.
In the 1st reading, when the three young men were
threatened with the fiery furnace, they stuck to their faith in God. In doing
so, they were freed from their fear of death. They believed in God, and that
set them free to face and overcome the fear of the fiery furnace.
It is also by believing in God and in His Word of
truth that will set us free.
By forgiving those who hurt us, we are freed.
By praying for those who wrong us, we are freed.
By not nailing judgment on others, we are freed.
By loving others, we are freed.
The flames of the fiery furnace may not go off, but by believing and
living in the truth, we live in the freedom of walking together with our God in
that fiery furnace.
****
Lent: 5th Week – Wed Liturgy
Introduction
Persons who trust in God fight enslavement to sin. In the face of
abuse of authority, persecution or coercion of any kind, even of tradition or
of the law, they retain their inner freedom. When they hear and keep God’s
Word, they make a decision for freedom. The liberating word of Christ sets us
free and makes us sons and daughters. God’s children are born to be free. The
three young men at the king’s court were willing to lay down their lives for
their faith. Like the faith of Abraham, our faith in Jesus should be deep and
unconditional.
Penitential Rite:
-as you test us in the fiery
furnace and come to rescue us, LHM
-as you test us in the crucible of
sorrow and come to wipe away our tears, LHM
-as you free us from our slaveries
and make us your children, LHM
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, you call us to be free people. Help us to give you always
a response of freedom. Set free by Christ’s liberating word and death, may we
never again shackle ourselves with self-made chains, of selfish sin and false
attachments. We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Commentary
Truth sets us free. The truth that we are children of God and forever
united to Him through His covenant can liberate us from attraction to the
seductive attraction of the things of this world. The truth that we are guilty
of sin can bring us back into the loving arms of His mercy. The truth that we
are connected with one another through the mystery of the Body of Christ can
inspire us to lives of loving service for our neighbor. The truth of the
resurrection can imbue us with great hope for the world to come. May we always
embrace the Truth who sets us free.
– For those who are persecuted for their faith, that
they may stand firm, even in torture, we pray:
– For all who claim to be descendants of Abraham, Jews,
Christians, Moslems, that each in one’s own way may have deep trust in God, we
pray:
– For people who have to make hard decisions in life,
that they may follow their conscience in doing what is truthful, right and
good, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, your Son Jesus could not be deprived of his inner freedom even
when he died on a cross. Give us the courage of your Son, that our loyalty to
the truth, to you and to your values, may always be strong enough to make us
break out of our self-made prisons, our fears, complexes and excuses. Accept
this our sacrifice and let it make us free with the freedom brought us by Jesus
Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, we are your sons and daughters reborn in Christ to be
free. Help us to set our brothers and sisters free from any sinful slavery that
oppresses or exploits them. Give us the courage to speak out and to do all we
can to bring justice and human dignity to all in the strength of Jesus Christ
our Lord.
