Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Mass Readings

Isn’t it true that with the rise of skepticism and doubt in our society, the ‘fact check’ has become the gold standard to determine the truth of what we hear and see?

In our first reading, the Prophet Jeremiah could have avoided many false attacks if he could have easily done a fact check to disprove the lies of his enemies.

The question of identifying the truth and acting upon it is critical in our relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, the Revelation of God the Father, who assumed and took on our human nature out of love for us. That’s a huge statement in our personal beliefs. Like dominos, it touches absolutely everything to bow down in loyal acceptance of that marvelous truth.

How do people wrestle with that truth? The Gospel today gives us an overview of how people made up their minds. Some listened to the words of Jesus, were moved, and believed. They were convinced that the long-awaited Prophet, indeed the Messiah, the Christ, was present and speaking to them. Some listened, they were deeply moved, but couldn’t decide what to do about it. Others immediately jumped on the doubt wagon and pointed out that the expected Messiah couldn’t possibly come from a backcountry like Galilee.

Do we need and use ‘fact check’ to move into full belief and commitment that the Spirit of the Risen Christ is with us? The answer is, absolutely, yes! We look to the clear evidence in our own lives and the lives of our faith community. There we see, even in spite of great suffering and difficulties, that the Spirit of the Risen Lord is very much with us bringing forth the marvelous fruits of hope and charity. That’s a fact!

Reflection questions
1) How often do you use ‘fact check’ to identify the work of the Lord in your life?
2) Do you pray for the grace to resolve doubts and use them as stepping stones to belief?

Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB