Matthew 11:25-26

The Alphabet of Lent – Letter W

W for Wonder

There are words which, while having the same spelling, can have different meanings.
This is the case with the word: WONDER.

One can be wondering in the sense that he/she is asking questions about a certain thing.
He is wondering about the truth of a statement, while she is wondering whether her friend will call her.
But a person can be filled with wonder at the splendor of a landscape.

The second meaning of the word is retained for this reflection.
The word itself is not found as such in the gospel, but its meaning is revealed in certain scenes.
It expresses something which cause enthusiasm.
A situation, an experience that provokes surprise, admiration, awe.
One cannot prevent oneself to voice his/her wonderment!

A scene from the gospel depicts well such a reaction.
It is about the disciples who return after having been sent by Jesus to preach and to heal the sick.
They come back very happy at the result of their apostolic efforts.

“The seventy-two returned with joy and said,
“Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17).

It seems that their positive experience has gone beyond what they had anticipated,
and they describe to Jesus their surprise and their joy.

Jesus himself had, one day, what we could call his ‘WOW’ moment – a moment of real wonder.
He was then expressing to his Father his admiration for the privileged revelation given to the little ones:

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned,
and revealed them to little children.
Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do” (Matthew 11:25-26).

If someone asked you of you ever had such a ‘WOW moment’…
Could you recall, in your mind, a situation when you spontaneously exclaimed: ‘WOW’! ?

Lent can prove a period that is especially appropriate to find again a spirit of admiration –
admiration for all that is WELL, BEAUTIFUL, and GOOD…

And, also, to give thanks to God who gives us to live such moments –
when we are possessed by wonderment, filled with enthusiasm!

The Psalmist had tasted those moments when he said:
“Lord, my God, many are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us…
Were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare” (Psalm 40:5).

It is up to us to make a personalized version of his text…

Source: Image: Scripture Images

The Alphabet of Lent – Letter U

U for Unity

We pray, of course, we all have our favourite formulas to address God.
We present multiple requests to him, and we also thank him.
It is possible that we ask ourselves the question: When he was praying to his father, how did Jesus do this?

One day, his apostles having seen him pray, asked him to teach them to pray.
We know that he then taught them the prayer of the Our Father (Luke 11:1-4).
But we still think: he, himself, how did he pray?

Apart from his prayer during his agony in the Garden of Olives, and his petition on the cross, we know little of his personal prayer.

One day, marveling at the faith of simple people, he exclaimed:
“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned,
and revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11:25-26).

On another occasion, before bringing Lazarus back to life, he addressed his Father, saying:
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
I knew that you always hear me,
but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,
that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41-42).

These two texts are meaningful.
Yet, there is another one which I think of – it is the prayer Jesus pronounced on the eve of his death, a solemn moment indeed.
It was during the Jewish Passover meal and, at the end of the meal, Jesus said:

“That all of them may be one, Father,
just as you are in me, and I am in you.
May they also be in us,
so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).

This text makes clearly known to us the desire of Jesus for us, believers.
But more than 2,000 years after he prayed in this way, his desire is still… waiting to be realized…
The groups of those who call themselves disciples of Christ have been multiplied in an amazing manner…

The groups of Christians have become diversified according to their different beliefs…
Worse still, their way of treating each other is sometimes deplorable…
Of course, there are praiseworthy efforts to come really closer to one another but… there is still a long way to go.

Travelling, one day, in a foreign country, I found myself at a crossroads of four streets.
On the site of three of them, there was a church built for the Christians of different denominations.
Of course, all of them claimed that Christ was with them…

We need to learn how to pray as Jesus did, and pray with him, HIS prayer…

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The Alphabet of Lent – Letter W

Source: Image: Scripture Images

The Alphabet of Lent – Letter U

Source: Image: Scripture Images