May our hearts be educated

Wednesday in the Fourth Week in Lent

Is 49:8-15; Jn 5:17-30

One of the functions of Lent is to educate our heart. I mean here "educate" in the original sense of the word, "ex-duco", to lead out of. Indeed, when taken seriously, Lent has the potential of leading us out of our old habits, attitudes and auto-destructive ways of thinking and behaving and opens us up once more to a new life.

Incidentally, this is also the task that Jesus undertakes in today's Gospel. He tries to educate the hearts of those gathered around Him, even though he knows that his speaking the truth to them would eventually result in his being rejected by them and his violent execution. Unfortunately perhaps even without our knowing we set up the same rejection against Jesus because he can come to change our ways but change is so hard for us to accept.

Jesus educates the hearts of his listeners by showing them the communion that there is between Himself and the Father, the self-emptying attitude of the Son toward the Father and the Father toward the Son. It is the most tangible and powerful act of love because it is life giving. God's love towards us is eternal, such that not even death can destroy it. This is the mystery of Easter that we are about to celebrate: uniting ourselves with Christ so that we too may die and rise with Him.

When we realise this, then the consoling words of the Prophet Isaiah take on a whole new meaning. Sometimes, with Zion we might think to ourselves, "The Lord has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me" (Is 49:14) But then we recall God's promise towards us and his words full of mercy (Is 49:15):

"Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you."

We must take the opportunity before this privileged time of lent is over to allow Jesus to educate our hearts, to renew our communion with the Father and open our hearts the life-giving love the God has for us.