A time of Lexio Divina for the discerning heart.
Saturday in the fifth week of Lent As you begin, take a deep breath and
exhale slowly. For the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns
of the stay to the Lord.
Say slowly from your heart, Jesus, I trust in you. You take over.
Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John, chapter 11 verses 45 through 56.
Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him,
but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests
and Pharisees called a meeting. Here is this man working all these signs, they said,
and what action are we taking. If we let him go on in this way, everybody will believe
in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the holy place and our nation.
One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year said, you do not seem to have grasped
this situation at all. You fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people
than for the whole nation to be destroyed. He did not speak in his own person, it was
as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation and not
for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. From
that day they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among
the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim in the country bordering on
the desert and stayed there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of
the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves, looked out for Jesus,
saying to one another as they stood about in the temple, what do you think? Will he come
to the festival or not?
What word made this passage come alive for you? What did you sense the Lord saying to
you? Once more, give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you. Many of the Jews who came to
visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him, but some of them went to tell the Pharisees
what Jesus had done. Then the chief priest and Pharisees called a meeting. Here is this man working
all these signs, they said, and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way,
everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the holy place and our nation.
One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest at ear said, you do not seem to have grasped the situation at
all. You fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to
be destroyed. He did not speak in his own person. It was as high priest that he made this prophecy
that Jesus was to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity,
the scattered children of God. From that day, they were determined to kill him.
So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim
in the country bordering on the desert and stayed there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover
drew near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves
looked out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the temple,
what do you think? Will they come to the festival or not?
What did your heart feel as you listened?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more, through him, with him, and in him, listen to the Word.
Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him,
but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees
called a meeting. Here is this man working all these signs, they said, and what action are we taking?
If we let him go on in this way, everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and
destroy the holy place and our nation. One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year said,
you do not seem to have grasped this situation at all. You fail to see that it is better for one
man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed. He did not speak in his own
person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation,
and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God.
From that day, they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews,
but left the district for a town called Ephraim in the country bordering on the desert,
and stayed there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of the country people
who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves, looked out for Jesus, saying to one another
as they stood about in the temple, what do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?
What touched your heart in this time of prayer?
What did your heart feel as you prayed?
What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?
Let us now close with the prayer to the Father that Jesus gave us.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
