Wednesday of the 4^th week of Lent

Isaiah 49: 8-15      John 5: 17-30

Theme: Blessed assurance

In the 1^st reading of today from the prophet Isaiah, we see the wonderful words of encouragement coming from God through the prophet Isaiah, that he is with the people, and his blessings will manifest soon in their lives. This was at a time when the people were going through difficulty and challenges in their lives as a people. He went further by using very strong words to assure the people that no matter what their present situation may be, they should know he has not forgotten them. This was necessary at this time in the lives of the people because, Zion said “the Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me”. Like we know, usually a woman will not forget her suckling child, and the Lord said even if that happens, I will not forget you. This is an assurance that is coming from God and should be a source of great strength to all of us, just as it was for the people of God.

Dear friends in Christ, can you relate with this wonderful assurance that is coming from God in todays 1^st reading? Have there been moments in your life when you feel like God has forgotten you or have refused to come to your aid? The word of God is saying today that we should be strong in times of difficulties and the challenges of life because God is very close and near to us; just be patient, prayerful and remain steadfast in faith. In your life presently, are you going through situations that makes you doubt whether God is with you? Courage my brothers and sisters, the 1^st reading of today has given us an answer to our worries and fears; just know that God will come to your assistance, he will never forsake you.

Dearly beloved in Christ, Jesus is revealing his True identity to the people, they cannot understand him, and they hastily decided to kill him. Sometimes when we do not understand a situation very well, we must be slow in making conclusions, lest we make a very grave mistake that will be detrimental to us. One can look at today’s gospel reading from that perspective, the people lacked a proper understanding of who Jesus is to them. It is possible that if they had a good understanding of who Jesus is, they would not have the plan to kill him. Like it is often said, knowledge is power, always understand a person or situation before you make your conclusions. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.