WEDNESDAY of 5th WEEK of LENT
"To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said,’ If you make my Word your home you will indeed be my disciples; you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free. They answered, ’We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone ; what do you mean ’You will be set free?’ Jesus replies : ’In all truth I tell you, everyone who commits a sin is a slave . Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.’
Jesus’ Truth reveals to the Jews what is in them and what they didn’t know! We cannot say that there is no darkness in us just because we are descendants of Abraham! Jesus’ opponents are getting angry, yet some ask questions! We too are concerned by this. We ’detect’ Jesus’ enemies, believing that we are Jesus’ friends! But trials unmask our ambiguity and our ambivalence. Everything that is still not yet love within us needs to be purified. Jesus’ true friends go with him as far as the Cross. The Truth and infinite Love of God has to take our whole being as we follow Jesus so that we shall be nothing but Love.
’I know that you are descended from Abraham; but you want to kill me because my Word finds no place in you. What I speak of is what I have seen at my Father’s side, and you too put into action the lessons you have learnt from your father.’
As long as error keeps in lies and weighs us down, we remain in darkness. If we are moved by our fears, our own interests, we are tied up and unfree. There are so many ways we can give way to idols, within ourselves and on the outside. In doing so, we prevent Jesus from purifying us. Jesus comes to the end of our darkness because he is the Son of God going down into our hell and getting us out of what restrains us. As soon as we become Light thanks to God’s Word, we shine His Love, becoming witnesses of Truth. We ask God to come into our darkness
and in everything that closes us up on ourselves. Jesus the Saviour frees us. If we want to dwell in Light we must frankly resist all lies
’They repeated ’Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said to them : ’If you are Abraham’s children, do as Abraham did.As it is, you want to kill me, a man who has told you the truth as I have learnt from God; that is not what Abraham did. You are doing your father’s work. They replied, We were not born illegitimate, the only father we have is God.’ Jesus answered : ’If God were your father you would love me since I have my origin in God and come from Him; I did not come of my own accord but he sent me.’ "
The doubt around Jesus is a serious one.: ’We were not born illegitimate!’ The Holy Spirit enlightens us so that we have the certitude that God comes and purifies us at the deepest part of our being. Once purified, we become then ’saviours with Jesus’, to sustain our brothers. Jesus’ Truth works within us and the Holy Spirit prevents the liar having a hold on us. If we go through darkness or fire, we won’t be burned! Christ is Conqueror amongst us as a valiant saviour, Jesus is there in the hearts of all believers and he saves us!