The Lenten Journey is like a 12 hour car ride.

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We are but one week away from the beginning of the Holy Tridium. We have come a long way during our journey. We may have fallen on the path when it got rough or even stumbled on the stones that were obstructing our way, but we never lost site of the goal. The Lenten Journey is like a 12 hour car ride. When you start out in the morning, you’re refreshed and excited about the trip. As you start down the road, the trip becomes monotonous and you start asking the question, “Are we there yet?” or “How much further until we get there?” Then, just when all hope seems to be fading, you get a glimpse of your destination. You become revitalized. You’re refocused on getting to your target. The same feelings can happen during Lent. Sometimes we get weary on our journey or we get tempted to divert from our path. But if keep focused on the path, we will get to our destination. In today’s Gospel (John 8:51-59), Jesus tells the Jews, “Whoever keeps my word will never see death.” Our path is the Word. Believing in the Word will take us to the cross, through the cross and into the resurrection of new life. “You do not know him, but I know him.” To know him, we need to complete our journey, we need to make it to the resurrection. The journey is not easy, but it is worth the effort. “Your father, Abraham, rejoiced because he saw my day.” We too will be able to rejoice in the Word of the risen Jesus. We will celebrate the Easter of our redemption. God made a promise or covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:3-9). He promised to be his God and the God of his descendants. He gave Abraham the land of Canaan . But God said to Abraham, “You and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.” We are called to keep the Word, to live the Word to fulfill our journey to Christ. Jesus is the life giving Word that will set us free from the bondage of Sin. We are called to share the Word at the last supper, to rejoice in the crucifixion and celebrate the resurrection. “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself.” (John 12:32) After we betrayed Jesus, after we scourged him for our sins, after we drove nails through his hands and feet, after we hung him on the cross in his full nakedness, after we crowned him with thorns to strip him of his dignity and after we ran a sword into his side so his blood would be spilled on the earth, he asked God to have mercy on us for we know not what we do. Through his resurrection, we are drawn to believe in him and his glory. In his resurrection he has defeated our sin; he has freed us from the bonds of slavery. We now know the true mercy of our Father. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16) A Simple Prayer “Jesus, you are the life-giving Word of God! You have rescued me from death. Help me to receive your word into the core of my being, and to share that life with all that I meet.” Yours in Christ Michael Marcon