5TH WEEK OF LENT

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Jesus is the only way to true freedom. He won that freedom for us by dying on the cross, putting to death sin and everything else that keeps us in bondage. But like the Jews in today’s Gospel reading, we don’t always understand what is enslaving us.

Perhaps you live with a nagging sense of guilt, even when you’re trying to do your best and have no reason to feel guilty. Maybe a pervasive sense of fear or anxiety has gripped your life, keeping you up at night or afraid for the future. Or maybe you struggle with negative feelings about yourself. We can become so accustomed to these feelings that we start to believe they are part of us, and we can’t imagine living without them. But you don’t have to live with them—Jesus has set you free!

Maybe anger is so deeply buried in your heart that it clouds your relationships and your outlook on life. Know that you can bring this anger to the Lord and ask him to release you. You don’t have to hold on to resentment and unforgiveness—Jesus has set you free!

Maybe you are bound by an excessive attachment to food, alcohol, or drugs. Activities like watching television, shopping, or surfing the internet may be taking up too much of your time and energy. Jesus doesn’t want anything to control you. He is more than capable of satisfying your deepest needs. Jesus has set you free!

Today, take steps to lay hold of the freedom that Jesus has won for you. Let his promises in today’s Gospel give you hope. Read them over and over again, and let them sink deeply into your soul. Then ask the Lord to help you detect anything that is binding you up. Finally, exercise your faith by asking Jesus to free you. Be bold and persistent! You may even want to ask some trusted friends to pray with you. Remember: Jesus loves you so much that he laid down his life for you. He wants nothing less than for you to walk in his freedom, each and every day of your life.

“Jesus, open my eyes to the things that bind me. Give me the faith and the courage to taste the freedom you have won for me.”

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
(Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56
John 8:31-42