For Such a Time as This

Today is Day 24 of our walk through the Gospel of John.  Thanks so much for joining us!  You can sign up to receive email updates here. 

A Reflection on John 11: 1-27

“And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (v 22)

Martha is in mourning. A spark of hope led her and Mary to send for Jesus, for surely the Lord, who loved Lazarus, would come and heal him as He had healed so many before. But He did not come. And now her brother lies dead in the tomb. The hope crushed within her; all she can do now is grieve.

But then she receives word: He is coming. Something stirs within her, the spark that was so nearly quelled kindles. Not content to sit and wait, she runs to meet him on the road. She falls to her knees, and lays her grief at His feet. “Lord, if you had been here…” she begins. She is overwhelmed with sorrow. Through her sobs, she expresses her heart to the Lord. Without fear, she lays bare all that she has been feeling, all that has been building within her for the last four days since her brother died. And with that tiny spark of hope and a mustard seed of faith, she makes her heart known to Him: “And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Can we do the same? Can we go to the Lord and lay it all at His feet, and can we repeat those words of Martha? Can we acknowledge His Lordship over all, can we trust in the wisdom of His ways even when they are not our wishes? And even if He does not answer us as we hope he would, can we answer as Martha does: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”? (v 27).

My Jesus, I come to You, with just a spark of hope and a mustard seed of faith, knowing that is all You ask of me. I lay my worries, fears, and grief at Your feet. I do not know how You will answer me, but I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. And Yes, Lord, I believe that are the Christ, the Son of God. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Welcome to Day 23 of What Do You Seek, our Lenten reflections on the gospel of John.  Thanks so much for joining us!  To subscribe by email, go here. 

A Reflection on John 10:22-42

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.” (v 27-28)

Jesus: Do you hear this, child? Do you hear the promise? No one shall snatch you out of my hand. You are mine, little one. The Father has given you to me and I to you. If you will come with me, I shall take you by the hand and we shall go to my Father’s House.

I am the Light for you to see, the Door for you to enter, the Way for you to follow, the Truth for you to abide in, the Life for you to live forever. It will not always be easy. There will be times when you forget the feel of your hand in Mine. You will look up and not be able to see Me. The way will appear dark and difficult. Your feelings will deceive you, and perhaps even your hope will fade to nothing. Your heart will feel low and anguished, or nothing at all. You will feel as if you cannot possibly go on, and you will look back upon the Way you have walked and wonder if it was all for naught.

Do not let your heart deceive you, child. For though you may not feel my Presence, I am with you always. And it is in those darkest moments that I am able to come closest to your heart, and you are able to come closest to My Heart in its agony, and together we will cry out, “Abba, Father!” “And no one is able to snatch (you) out of the Father’s hand.” (v 29)

Prayer: Oh Jesus, when the way is hard I lose sight of you so easily. I lose hope of getting back on track and feel as though I am completely alone in the world. In those times, grant me just enough faith to remember that You are with me and that I am never truly alone. Let me rest in my Father’s hands with you by my side and trust that whatever it is I am facing, you will bring me through it.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Today is Day 22 of our Reflections on the Gospel of John.  Thanks so much for listening!  To subscribe by email, go here. 

A Reflection on John 10:1-21

“He calls his own sheep by name.” (v 3)

Jesus says to us: My dear, little sheep. Oh, how I love you. Do you hear me? I am calling for you. I know your name and I know your heart. I see it all, and I call you still. I am calling you out: out of this life you are living, out of the snare of sin, out of the darkness of shame. Will you follow? Will you let go of the old and put on the new? Oh how I desire to give you the new. The new, soft heart of flesh that knows fully that it is loved. The new, pure garment of white to show the purity of the soul washed clean. It is no easy thing, to step out of what is old and comfortable. But if you trust me, if you listen to my voice, and take that first step, I will give you all of that and more. I will lead you to green pastures and still waters (Psalm 23:2). And I will always be with you.

There is another voice you hear. It is the voice of the enemy, the voice of a stranger. Perhaps it has already become all too familiar. It is the voice that whispers, “You are not enough… your sins are too much… you are not loved… you are not wanted… stay where you are because to leave would be too much risk and too much pain… you are safer here.” You need to know that that is not My voice. Listen to the voice of Love. Listen to My voice.

“I am the good shepherd… and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (10:14a, 15b)

I am calling your name, my dear, little sheep. I have already laid down my life for you. You have nothing to do but take that first step, come out to me, and let me lead you.

Prayer: Oh Jesus, I want to step out in trust, but many troubles come, many voices call that disturb my peace. Help me to close my heart to the voice of the enemy, to hear your voice, and to trust You. Jesus, I trust in You!

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

Welcome to Day 21 of Lent and Day 21 of our reflections on the gospel of John!  Thanks so much for listening.  To subscribe by email, go here. 

A Reflection on John 9:1-41

“Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.”  (v 32)

A man born blind. Darkness is all he knows. He sits near the temple, begging, unable to work because of circumstances beyond his control. The darkness before his eyes matches the darkness in his soul, as he hears the whispers day in and day out, in one form or another, similar to the disciples’ question to Jesus: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (v 2).  Shame weighs heavy on the man’s soul as he believes what he has heard all his life, that this blindness has a cause, that he or his parents are at fault. And what could he do? There is nothing to do but beg and hope that some would have pity on him. There is no hope of healing because for a man born into blindness, there is no cure.

But then he hears the words of Jesus: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents…” Could this be true? The smallest of cracks begins to break through the black wall of shame around his heart. Small, but big enough to let a bright beam of Light shine in. He hears the teacher’s words: “I am the light of the world,” and feels the wet, cold clay on his eyelids. “Go, wash,” the teacher tells him. So he does. And the dark wall of shame in his soul comes crumbling down as he blinks his eyes and takes in the light for the first time. He can see. Not only that, but the joy bubbling up in his heart is like nothing he has known before. The darkness is gone.

The Pharisees question the man, but he refuses to let their disbelief and resentment bring him back down into the darkness, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They cast him out, but they cannot cast out his new-found hope.

Jesus, you are the light of the world. Only you can break through the walls that shame has built in my heart. Lord, I believe. Let your light shine in my soul, that it may shine out to all the world.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

Thanks so much for joining us for Day 20 of our walk through the Gospel of John!  You can subscribe to our email list here. 

A Reflection on John 8:31-59

“The truth will make you free.” (v 32)

The Pharisees are denying what they cannot, or will not, understand – they have become the children, not of God, not of Abraham, but of Satan, the father of lies (v 44). They “cannot bear to hear (Jesus’) word,” because it is truth, and the truth is a bright, blinding light in their darkness. “For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (3:20).

The darkness is in me. Like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time, it is so deep that I almost don’t realize it is there. I cover it with disingenuous works, short-lived coping mechanisms, and a false mask that sends the message to the world that, “everything is fine.” But Jesus sees through it all. His light is so bright that He can see into the depths, into the places in my heart that have believed and given into the father of lies.

Will I deny it like the Pharisees? Will I assert that everything is fine, that what I am doing is enough, that I don’t need to change, don’t need the light, because I have grown so accustomed to the darkness that not seeing is a comfort and to see would be too much?

Or will I look up and see the eyes of my gentle Savior, the one who has endured the cross and grave so that I would not have to stay in darkness but could, if I chose to, rise with Him in the light? He sees the darkness, sees the lies I have believed, and he reaches out his hand to me and whispers, “You don’t have to stay in slavery. The truth will make you free, I will make you free.”

Jesus, dispel the lies in my heart. I renounce Satan and all his empty promises. I ask the Father’s blessings on my heart so that I may always remember my true identity as His child and remain in Your Light.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

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A Reflection on John 8:12-30

“He who sent me is true…” (v 26b)

The Pharisees continue to question Jesus. I imagine his exasperation. I remember the times when, like Him, I explain and repeat and explain more, desperately trying to be understood. But there is a difference. When I am at my wits’ end, frustrated for being written off and misunderstood again and again, my frustration is rooted in selfishness. I am trying to put forth my own will. I want the other to know and understand, and perhaps to respect and admire, me, for my own sake.

But Jesus’ purpose is entirely different from mine. Jesus came for one purpose, to do the Father’s will: “I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me.” (v 28b) And his repetition and perhaps even frustration at the misunderstanding of those around Him is not for his own sake. Jesus wants the other to know and understand the Father, for their sake. He wants to give them His own light, the light of the world, so they may know the way to where He is going. He is desperate for them to know, so that they may share in the Father’s blessing, for “you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” (v 24)

“’You are my witnesses,’ says the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.’” (Is 43:10-11)

Do I believe that nothing and no one can save me but Jesus?

Jesus, I am so unlike you. You show love for those who continue again and again to show disbelief despite the many signs and gifts you give. I am one of those lost sheep. I keep straying and wondering why I am lost, why I can’t see or feel the light anymore. Jesus, be my Light. Cut through the darkness in my soul and show me the way to the Father.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

Today is Day 18 of our Lenten Reflections on the gospel of John.  To receive our reflections, subscribe here. 

A Reflection on John 8:2-11

“No one, Lord.” (v 11a)

Silence. Only the sound of my quick, shallow breathing. The muffled thuds of stones being dropped to the ground. And as I open my eyes, still pointed to the ground, I can see pairs of feet turn, and slowly walk away. One pair remains. The sandaled toes point to me. I slowly raise my eyes to the ankles, the hem of the tunic, the knees bent to the ground, the finger resting in dirt next to Him. He looks up at me. He looks as no one ever has before. And I am hit with a wave of emotion: confused and ashamed and thrilled and amazed all at the same time. Who is He? What does he want with me?

He must be a holy man. Why else would the authorities take me to him? But I sensed something in them as they led me to Him, a suspicion, a deep jealousy. They do not want Him there any more than they want me there. We are both rejected. Yet this is the man to whom they turn to seal my fate? He is not like them. He does not answer their demand, but rather challenges them to play their own game. And He wins. And they walk away. And we are left alone.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” He looks into my eyes as he asks this question and I can barely speak. I know that I was caught in my sin, that the law demands justice, that He knows that, too. But as I return His gaze, my shame melts away. The darkness in my heart that has made its home there for so long starts to give way, and Light breaks through. “No one, Lord,” I breathe out. He smiles the slightest smile, the smile of a shepherd who has just found his beloved lost sheep, and says “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.”

My Jesus, I am the woman caught in adultery. I have knowingly sinned against you and I come to you knowing that I deserve punishment even unto death. But you look on me with Love, and that Love changes me. Your Love makes me desire to never sin again. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

Today is Day 17 of our Lenten Reflections.  Thanks so much for joining us!  You can subscribe to receive our podcast here. 

A Reflection on John 7:25-8:1

“I have not come of my own accord.”  (v28a)

How blind and obstinate we can be. We hear Jesus’ words, words that promise us eternal life, life giving food and thirst-quenching water, but we won’t trust what we do not understand. We see His miracles: transforming water into wine, multiplying bread, healing paralytics, yet we question where He comes from. We will not let our hearts be changed by what He’s doing. And we will not admit our own weakness and failings in the midst of a power that is beyond us. Instead, we judge, question, consider ourselves above Him.

But Jesus is not swayed by our reaction. He knows that His purpose on earth is to do the Father’s will, and He will do it regardless of the acceptance or understanding of others. Does He desperately want us to turn back to Him? Yes!  Out of His desire to give us His very self, He stands and proclaims in the midst of those hostile to Him: “If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink” (v 37).  But will our hard hearts change His determination to do His Father’s will, even to the point of death? Absolutely not. His love for us does not depend on us. He is never changing. So, He will continue on His way to the cross, though his hour has not yet come. And He will endure His agony, His Passion, His death. He will be sorrowful, rejected, and abandoned. Because He is looking to the day when the Spirit will flow out the hearts of believers like rivers of living water, not for his own benefit, but for the good of those who love Him.

Jesus, I am sorry for all of the times that I have rejected you because I did not understand what you were doing. I know that all that you do, you do for love of me. I trust that my Father’s will is for my good. Let your Spirit flow out of me like living water to those I meet today, that they, too, may know that they are loved by You.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

It is Day 16 of our Lenten Reflections! Thanks so much for joining us.  If you have enjoyed these reflections, please share, leave us a review, or email us at [email protected].  You can receive the podcast and show notes via email by subscribing here.  

A Reflection on John 7:1-24

“He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.” (v 18)

It is the feast of Tabernacles. Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem in secret because those in authority feel threatened by him and are seeking to kill him. But now he makes his presence known. He has gone to the Temple to teach and is speaking with the authority of a Teacher.

It’s hard to understand why he would do this. He says one thing and then does another. He goes in secret and then teaches publicly. His time has not yet come, yet he has come and is in the Temple conversing with those who are trying to kill him.

Sometimes things happen in our lives that we don’t understand. We think God is calling us one way, but then He closes that door. We pray for an answer to prayer but don’t receive what we were wanting, or we wait and wait and feel like no one is listening.

He knows. He sees. He is with us, and he speaks to us: “My ways are not your ways, child. My ways are the Father’s ways, and all that I do, all that I say, is from Him. I seek His Glory. I proclaim His teaching. And I am true. In me, there is no falsehood, and you can trust me. I know you do not understand, but that is because there are some things that are beyond your understanding.  But I am with you always, even in those moments.  When you do not understand, look at my hands and see the wounds I endured for you. Look at my side, feel the flesh torn for you, feel my Sacred Heart beating with love for you. Look into my eyes. When you do not understand, rest there, trust me. In time, all will come to light and I will make all things new for you, my beloved.”

Jesus, so many things that happen are beyond my understanding. I want to know why, but I can hear you calling me to trust in you. I know that you will reveal your will to me in your time. Come, Holy Spirit! Please give me the gift of trust.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

Today is Day 15 of our Lenten Reflections! To receive these reflections by email, subscribe here. 

A Reflection on John 6:41-71

“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’” (v 45)

The people are murmuring. Like “seed sown on rocky ground,” they have heard the word of God with joy, but upon encountering a difficult teaching from Jesus, they begin to question, doubt, and fall away (Mt 13:20-21). They’ve asked again for a sign like manna in the desert, and Jesus answers with a promise of the bread of eternal life. Yet rather than letting the words burn in their hearts (Lk 24:32), they ask, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (v 52). They are too attached to their worldly understanding (the limitations of the flesh Jesus speaks of) to understand that these words come from no ordinary man, but from him who has seen the Father..

Let us hear these words, not with stony hearts, but with hearts of flesh burning within us: “Truly, truly, I say to you,” Jesus implores. Do you hear the yearning in His voice? This is a truth He desperately desires for you to hear: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (v 53). He came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10). And this is how we are to have it: to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Seven times, Jesus emphasizes those words. Seven times, he implores us to partake. This is the heart of the Father, this is the heart of the Son: for us to receive His flesh and blood so that we might abide in Him and have eternal life.

And the people will not accept it. They leave. Jesus watches them go, does nothing to stop them. This teaching is critical to His mission. He has come to bring the bread of Life to save us all who are in the desert of spiritual death, and He will not compromise. He turns to the twelve, turns to me, and asks, “Will you also go away?” Can I answer as Peter did?

My Jesus, give me a heart burning with desire for the bread of Life, your body and blood in the Eucharist. I will not reject the gift of living bread, because I believe as Peter did. I make his words my prayer: “Lord, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life; and I have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.