Lenten Reflection for 3/20

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Daily Prayer

Lord Jesus, with Your words, “Remain in My word,” we are reminded that without You, we are nothing. Because of the gifts You have given to us, we are able to live fruitfully. Help us to always remember that You are the vine, and we are the branches. Nourish us by Your words that we may grow in understanding this Lent. Then we can stand in the bright light of truth. Amen


Scripture Readings

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; John 8:31-42

(Click for today’s Readings.)

Scripture Quote

John 8:31-32

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”


Reflection

Jesus asks his disciples to remain, or abide or live, in His Word. What is His Word? John tells us the answer at the beginning of his Gospel:

“In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.”

Jesus is the Word. Jesus is also the truth, referencing Himself when He said, “I am the way and the truth and the [eternal] life.” (John 14:6)

Therefore, if we live our lives as Jesus teaches us, if we have a continuing faith relationship with Him, then Jesus will set us free and we will not be a slave to sin.

CS Lewis writes in Mere Christianity, “When they speak of being ‘in Christ’ or of Christ being ‘in them’, this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts…”

Reflection Questions

Do I set aside time each day to place myself in the presence of God and abide in His Word?

Do I strive to be a child of light?


Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.