March 22, 2024
Fraide for di Wik Five for Lent
Readings for Today
Listen for English
“If I no dey do My Father works, make una no believe Me; but if I dey do dem, even if una no believe Me, make una believe di works, so dat una go come know and understand say di Father dey inside Me and I dey inside di Father.” John 10:37–39
Jesus talk these words during di feast of di Dedication for Jerusalem. Jesus don dey preach clearly about di relationship wey He get with di Father for Heaven, and dis one dey make some people vex so much dat dem try to arrest Am for dat same place and time. But He escape and go back to di bush wey people no dey live, where John baptize Am. As Jesus remain there for desert, plenty people come meet Am to stay with Am and listen to His words. As dem dey listen, dem begin believe.
E good make we notice how di way people respond for di two places different. For Jerusalem, inside di Temple area, among di plenty people wey gather for di feast of di Dedication, people dey reject and persecute Jesus more and more. But when He return to di desert and people need to come there to see Am, dem listen and believe. Dis difference show us one way wey go make am easier for us to grow for our faith and help other people grow for their own faith. In particular, Jesus dey invite us to enter di “desert” to meet our Lord, away from all di busy-busy of life, and we too must invite other people to join us for dis kind journey.
Na true say, while Jesus dey Jerusalem, some people just happen to come across Am as He dey teach, and His word touch their heart and make dem come believe. But e still clear say, when people need to put effort into finding Am for place wey people no dey live, His words change their lives even more.
For our own lives, as we dey do di normal things of life, like to dey attend Mass regularly, we go get opportunity to hear di Gospel and deepen our life of faith. But all of us need to set time apart to go find Jesus “for di bush wey people no dey live,” as we fit talk am, so dat our hearts go ready even more to hear Am and believe. These “desert experiences” fit take different forms. E fit be something as simple as to enter your room alone to pray and think deeply about di Word of God. Or e fit be to join Bible study, online devotional programme, or catechesis programme for parish. Or e fit be to choose to go away for one weekend or longer for retreat wey somebody go guide, where na only to pray and listen to our Lord you go dey do for some time.
All through history, saint after saint don show us how important e be to go somewhere to pray and stay with our Lord, for place where all di other things of life wey dey distract us and di many voices of di world go quiet, so dat God fit speak to our heart and we fit respond more fully.
Today, think deeply about di invitation wey Jesus dey give you to go meet Am for di bush wey people no dey live. Where be dat place? How you fit make dis short journey and still dey do di important duties of life? No hesitate to find di desert wey our Lord dey call you go, so dat you go fit meet Am there, listen to His voice, and respond with all your heart, without holding anything back.
My Lord Jesus, You dey call me to enter deeper into relationship of love with You, my divine Lord. Give me di grace wey I need to tell You “Yes” and enter di desert of silence and prayer wey I need so dat I fit hear Your voice. Draw me come close to You, my Lord, and help me believe more fully everything wey You want talk. Jesus, na You I trust.
Day Thirty-Three Deep Tinking:
40 Days for di Desert & 40 Days for di Cross
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Scripture Meditation Dem for Lent
