5TH WEEK OF LENT

Let us denounce him! 

A woman was serving hot meals to homeless men and women at her downtown parish when one of the men approached the lunch counter. Out of the blue, he asked her, “How’s business going for you these days?”

As it turned out, the woman’s personal business was facing problems, and she told him so. The man responded by pointing toward heaven. “Just trust him,” he said, gazing upward with a smile. The woman, taking these words as a sign of assurance from God, began to weep.

The story doesn’t end there, however. Another homeless man looking on misunderstood the situation and thought that the man’s words had upset the woman. So he ran after him and tackled him to the ground. Once the truth became known, the attacker apologized and returned sheepishly to his lunch.

This true story is an example of what might happen to people who take the risk of sharing a word of faith or a message from Scripture with someone. Just look at the prophet Jeremiah. He endured criticism, denunciation, and even violence for rebuking the people of Jerusalem and urging them to repent for the ways they had strayed from God. In today’s first reading (Jeremiah 20:10-13), Jeremiah describes how his former friends cast him off because they didn’t like what God was saying through him. Jesus himself was also treated this way; in today’s Gospel (John 10:31-42), he was nearly stoned to death for speaking what the Jewish leaders considered blasphemy (John 10:33).

Life isn’t easy for prophets. When they bring God’s message—especially if it is one people don’t want to hear—they often encounter opposition. But God still calls each of us to be prophets in the world. Because Jesus lives in us, we can be living expressions of hope, encouragement, truth, and sometimes conviction to others.

Of course, we might be taking a risk. We might be misunderstood. Just look at what happened to Jeremiah and the man at the lunch counter! But we might also be giving a much-needed word to someone. And that’s definitely worth the risk!

“Father, help me to abide in you so that my words can make you known to the people around me.”

Psalm 18:2-7
John 10:31-42
Jeremiah 20:10-13

WORD AMONG US