The Gospel for the Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent points towards the coming Passion of Christ. We know the story; we know what is going to happen come Sunday and the next Friday. The New actively fulfilling the Old.
There are many liturgical things that I enjoy during Lent. I might seem like that odd person who loves the season of Lent but be assured that I encounter challenges and sorrows too. For me, as Palm Sunday and the Triduum approaches, I am flooded with sorrow and gratitude by the accounts of Our Lord. This graphic setting from the Gospel today encourages me to slow down, pray, and experience the emotions of this season coming to an end.
Imaginative Prayer: “The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.”
I place myself in the scene and ponder if I would be a bystander, a hidden believer, or a Jewish person. Would I have loved Jesus in that very moment as much as I do now? For this instance, I am the sheepish believer faced with shame and fear or the person ready to throw stones.
Connection with Lenten Practices
I have a great appreciation for St. Alphonsus Liguori. I am always edified by his reflections on the Stations of the Cross. Just like the Gospel reading from today, Liguori’s reflections are heart-wrenching, or to the point. Two lines from the Stations of the Cross that I find relatable to this Gospel message are, “My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned Thee to die” and “My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but of my sins, which have made Thee suffer so much pain.” I take these reflections to prayer and visually experience myself broken in tears to Jesus at His Crucifixion.
In the scripture passage, Jesus converses with the Jewish people and tries to reveal that His works are from God and that He is the Son of God. “Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.” From his escape, he journeys over the Jordan and was approached by other crowds of people who began to believe in Him.
Where?
Finally, I encourage us to pause in the Gospel of John. Where are we in the story? And, where is our belief? Where can the Lord help our unbelief? How far are we willing to go to profess faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God? In the coming days, I plan to take some time to pray with these lines of supplication from the Stations of the Cross, “I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou will.”
St Alphonsus Liguori, pray for us.
