A Reflection for Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Find today’s readings here.
“If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
To mark the start of the Lenten season, I had the pleasure of going around our America office and pestering my coworkers. Here’s the proof (and a shameless plug for our Instagram account).
At the conclusion of the video, my favorite response comes from our very beloved longtime receptionist, Glenda Castro. When asked the question “What are you giving up for Lent?,” Glenda begins by explaining that she is giving up chocolate for 40 days and 40 nights, and then adds: “...and also, maybe doing something special for someone that I, um, don’t like.” The video fades to black on Glenda’s clever response and bashful smile.
As you may expect, her response was an office favorite.
Glenda, after recording her response, confided in the videographer (me) that maybe she should have worded her Lenten offering differently. I assured her that the video editor (also me) would do justice to her. Placing her response at the end of the video, I thought, would be both playful and hopefully thought provoking for our audience.
Today’s Gospel, like Glenda’s response, reminds us that through our actions, big and small, we are instruments of peace, examples of hope, disciples of the word of God––or, at least, we must strive to be.
Jesus himself tells the crowd, seconds away from stoning him, that had he not been performing his father’s works, they need not believe him. However, “if I perform them,” he says, “even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Glenda’s response, however witty, serves as a serious reminder that fighting the good fight is exactly that: a fight. In our everyday encounters, Catholics must labor to perform the neverending work of loving and caring for our neighbors, proudly and loudly (and sometimes reluctantly). If our Catholic works do not define us, what does?
And this logic must be extended beyond ourselves! Jesus calls the crowd to believe the works, to believe that the goodness he imparts upon them through his good works must be accredited to his communion with the Father. I take this to mean that we are all capable of representing God’s love––including those individuals in our lives who we may not particularly, um, like. I guess what I am trying to say is this: A good deed from a person you may not like can and should still be seen as an act of love and mercy. At the end of the day, to wake up and choose love is a battle we all face (even if we don’t always win it).
To love and care for one another, as the good works of Jesus exemplify, is the ultimate Lenten promise.
