March 31: The Fourth Week of Lent / La Cuarta Semana de Cuaresma

The Gospels tell us that many people approached Jesus for help as He went around their towns and villages. On one occasion (John 4, 43-54), a court official asked Him to come to his home and cure his seriously ill son. His request, at first, met with what seems like a refusal. But he wasn’t put off. He persevered and said, “Come down before my child dies.” And in response to the man’s perseverance, Jesus grants his request, but not in the way the man wanted. He didn’t go to his home to cure his son; He simply said, “Your son will live.” The man believed the word of Jesus and he did what Jesus told him to do. He returned home on his own, with the promise of Jesus in his heart, and on the way he discovered that his prayer had been answered.

When we approach the Lord in prayer, asking for His help, do we ever feel like He is not answering our prayers? Does it ever seem like He is not engaging with us in the way we had hoped? How mindful are we of our need to persevere like the court official in the Gospel? Like him, we will discover that the Lord does, indeed, answer our prayers, even if not in the ways we expected. Are we willing to take the Lord at His word and travel with His promise in our hearts?

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La Palabra de Dios y su presencia entre nosotros renuevan a su Pueblo. La fe en Él lleva consigo vida y curación, algo por lo que vale la pena vivir. Él nos ofrece alegría ahora – y mucho más en el futuro – porque habrá un mundo nuevo, una nueva relación con Dios, y un nuevo Pueblo de Dios.

Cada año, la Iglesia nos ofrece este tiempo de Cuaresma como una oportunidad para llegar a ser los seguidores de Cristo soñados por su Padre: valientes, fieles, cercanos a Él, y pensando de nuevo en los demás más que en nosotros mismos y en nuestros intereses insignificantes o mezquinos. Sigamos dejando al Señor que nos renueve con su fuerza y su gracia.