Good News Reflection
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
April 2, 2014
Today’s Readings:
Isaiah 49:8-15
Psalm 145:8-9,13-14,17-18
John 5:17-30
God has never let you down
Meditation from Terry A. Modica and The Word Among us
Is this you? “Sometimes it feels like God has let me down. Forgotten my needs. Forsaken me.”
Our feelings cannot be trusted to speak the truth to us. Today’s first reading assures us that God will never, never, (and again I say never!) stop caring about us and doing good for us. God has a much better memory. And you, dear one, are his very precious child!
Read Isaiah’s words personalized for you. This is your Father speaking directly to you about you:
“What are your prayer requests? In a time of favor (divinely perfect timing) I answer you. What failures and sins and mistakes have destroyed your life? I will restore your land (your life). What addictions or injustices are imprisoning you? I am saying to you: Come out! Why are you lingering in the darkness of evil? Come into my light and show yourself!
“”Blessed are you if you hunger or thirst, for you shall have your fill. Let me tell you about those hard times that are drying up your life: The scorching wind and the sun shall not strike you down. I feel sorry for you. Let me lead you and guide you beside springs of water, the powerfully healing waters of my Holy Spirit. I will cut a road through mountains and make the highways level so that you won’t become too weary on the road that you travel with me, and you will know which way to go.
“Sing out and rejoice, break forth into song! For I the Lord am comforting you! I show mercy to the afflicted!”
In today’s Gospel reading, look at the intimacy between the Father and the Son. Look at how one speaks for the other. Notice how Jesus, even while in human flesh, does nothing apart from his divine Father. Look at how the only thing that really matters to Jesus is doing the will of his Father. Look at how the Father supplies to Jesus everything that he needs.
Look again at Isaiah’s reading. You are just as important to the Father as Jesus is! He completely loves you, his adopted child, no less than his begotten Son! It’s impossible for him to love you or anyone incompletely.
Take a moment in prayer, and ask the Lord to help you come in touch with the life he has placed in you. Let the spring well up within you—a spring of hope, of joy, of cleansing, and of peace. Let that living water irrigate any “parched ground” in you—softening your heart, cleansing your conscience, healing your memories, enlivening your imagination. Let it carry away your burdens and give you the simple joy of knowing that Christ is in you and that he will never stop loving and caring for you.
PRAYER OF THE SOUL
“Father, I want your living waters to flow in me today. Nourish, cleanse, and bring me your joy. I need you to give me your life. Father, our dearest God we surrender to you our lives, our weaknesses, our sorrow, our pain, our limitations, Complete us our and make our lives worth living and loving you each day. We are weak and we are hopeful. We need your guidance and cleansing to make us realize how valuable we are to you. Father forgive us, forgive our God. We praise and thank you Lord for the endless love, for the diving healing for the leadership, for all that we have around us and the joy that you shower us each day. Father, we are yours and yours alone. NEver let us separate from you. Father we offer you everyone we are praying for, those who pray with us and all of us who are thirsty and hungry of all the things that will make our mind, heart and soul nourished of your blessings and guidance. Father may your will be done upon us all. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the angels and saints. In the mighty name our dear Jesus Christ we pray and surrender. Amen. ”
Spring of God’s joy, hope, faith and trust be upon us today.
Conversation with the Father 