"Never before has anyone spoken like this man." Jn 7:46
It is always unnerving when people from whom we expect little make us stop and listen. Apparently, that is what happened to the temple guards as they listened to Jesus. When they told the chief priests and Pharisees what happened to them when they listened to Jesus, they were berated. No doubt they were confused, something that happens to most of us when others correct or ridicule us. Still, the seed had been planted in the hearts of the temple guards, and it was up to them to nurture it.
Lent is a time when the seed of God's word is planted in us again, and we must ask ourselves whether we have done anything to help it grow. Most of us have moments almost everyday when we sense God's presence, or find ourselves being lifted up by the beauty of the day or the goodness of a complete stranger. Hearing about a nurse who spent hours on the phone helping a patient get insurance approval for necessary medical procedures, watching a 40 something woman give an arm to an older man struggling to climb the three steps into church, or seeing a 14 year old boy help his grandmother in her garden, are all moments of grace, seeds if you will, that need nurturing and nourishing.
Today, take an extra moment of gratitude for the ordinary ways that God speaks to you.
Have new seeds of faith and hope been planted in you this Lent?
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