Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
April 8, 2011
To see the readings, click here:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/040811.shtml
I thought I had hit a rhythm here. For the past week or so, I have looked at the readings and it wasn't long before I had some kind of inspiration. But not tonight. The Old Testament reading is almost impenatrable, and the reading from John isn't much easier!
Essentially, I guess, this is a variation on the theme of "A prophet is never respected in his home town." The people in Jerusalem believe that Jesus can't possibly be the Christ because they know where he is from. Of course, the people are totally wrong. And I suppose one lesson we can take from this is that often what we think we know, and the conclusions we draw from it, are wrong. I sometimes jokingly, cynically, use the phrase "Never attribute to malice what ignorance can explain." But setting aside the cynical part, I think there is some relevant truth there. So often in life we suffer all kinds of doubt and hurt and sometimes even damage relationships because we act on wrong assumptions and misunderstandings.
We are especially bad about making wrong assumptions about others' intent. Someone says something that hurts our feelings or otherwise bothers us, and we assume the worst. We assume that person set out to harm us. Heck, a lot of the time the other person doesn't even know they DID offend. They assuredly didn't offend on purpose.
Of course, all that is more general life philosophy than it is really a meditation on the Lenten readings. But Lent is supposed to be about examining our lives and thinking about how we live them, so I hope there is at least a slight tie-in and purpose to all this.
Oh Lord, please open our hearts and minds to your will and your perspective. Help us to turn to you for help in how to respond to trying situations. Be with us especially as we walk the Lenten journey; help us to let go of wrong assumptions and see new options through your eyes. We pray a special prayer for those who are ill and suffering, and for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. In Jesus name, Amen.
