8TH APRIL 2022
Building a Closer Relationship with God
Jer 20:10-13, Ps 18:1-2a.2bc-3.4-5.6, Jn 10:31-42
Today, we have heard from the Gospel yet another account of the confrontations that happened between the Lord and those who opposed Him. The same thing had happened to prophet Jeremiah in the past as well. But God has always stood by His faithful ones and He would not let those who are dear to Him suffer and be crushed. Even if they were to suffer, in the end, those who remain faithful to God shall triumph together with Him.
In our Gospel passage today, we have heard how the Lord was opposed by the Jewish people in Jerusalem and Judea. The people were stubborn and refused to believe in Him. Yet, Jesus kept on speaking the truth and would not be deterred by the opposition He had faced. Just as Jeremiah had once done his best and continued to carry out the mission entrusted to him despite the challenges and oppositions he encountered. The Lord Jesus spoke the truth and revealed more and more of what the Lord, the Almighty God, would very soon be doing for the sake of the whole world.
Living according to the Good News of Jesus will lead to opposition. There will be opposition from people who do not want to hear the Gospel because they know it will cause them to change their lifestyles, the very lifestyle to which they have become accustomed, and to which they wrongly think is what their vision of God is calling them to practice. Those are the ones who prefer to live in the darkness which hides their wicked ways rather than come into the Light of Jesus’ teaching.
The closer we come in our relationship with God, the more the enemy will be working against us. We will then need to cry out to God as Jeremiah did, the psalmist and particularly Jesus. We will need to be strengthened by God who is our rock of refuge, our shield, our stronghold. God may not remove the opposition we face, but God will give us the strength to face the opposition.
Dear friends, let us focus our attention on Jesus as we remember everything that He has done for our sake. Let us all do our best to walk the path of this journey of faith, and do our best to endure whatever trials, challenges and obstacles that we may have to face in this journey, and not be afraid, following in the footsteps of Jesus.
May God be with us all, and may He empower us all to live ever more faithfully in His Presence, now and for evermore.
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