The Lord is With Me

30 March 2007: Friday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time
John 10, 31-42 The Lord is with Me

Both Jeremiah in the first reading and Jesus in the Gospel have things in common. God has given both of them messages which they boldly preached; but their messages fell on deaf ears. In the most difficult times, both of them cry out the same line: “The Lord is with me.” Jeremiah entrusts himself to God while he was in prison. Jesus puts his trust in God in the midst of his assertion that God has sent Him to the world.

There are occasions in our lives when we are beset by difficulties that afflict us. Often we find God absent during these times. We may have suffered long standing sorrow, pain that penetrates our bones. We may have suffered from rejection and abandonment by our friends. We may have endured the times when our loved ones have not appreciated the things we do for them. But, like Jeremiah and Jesus, we are challenged to put our trust in God and not forget him.

If Jeremiah and Jesus endured numerous trials and troubles in their lives, we trust that God will also give us the courage we need to carry on our lives and bless our pains.