Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Why does Jesus say that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from the Jewish leaders and given to others? Israel was not just made God’s Chosen People but that designation also had a vocation. Their calling as the smallest but most blessed nation was to be a Light to the Nations. They were called to attract the whole world to worship the true God (Isaiah 2:2ff).
However, this call that they received during the Babylonian Exile fell away once they returned to the land of Judah. They were a people demoralized and forced to rebuild with fewer resources. They were concerned about purity of ethnicity and religion. They became insular and navel-gazing.
This is very different from the gospel message that is meant for the salvation of all peoples. And today the Church is still called to be that Light to the Nations because God wills all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). And yet, in nearly every Catholic family we see adult children falling away from the practice of the faith, Mass attendance down, and vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life equally low.
It is a quandary as to how Christians are missionary in society and yet deliberately forming children in a Christian way while shielding them from the worst of the culture. Each of us must be careful to never feel like a victim. We are armed with the gospel and the Lord tells us to love our enemies. If one is a parent, he must honor his primary responsibility to protect and teach children. And still, freely we have received and freely we are to give to those who have not yet known Christ fully. St. Jose Maria Escrivá impels us: “Apostolic zeal is a divine craziness I want you to have. Its symptoms are: hunger to know the Master; constant concern for souls; perseverance that nothing can shake” (The Way 934).
Reflection by Fr. Pachomius Meade, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources