March 27/Fourth Friday of Lent
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. ~ Ps 34.19
Everywhere we look, we see the broken-hearted and the crushed in spirit; we ourselves are among them. On top of the quotidian suffering that afflicts our lives — the sudden and untimely death of someone we love, the pain of a chronic illness, financial anxiety — these days of trial are striking novel and unanticipated blows. Job loss, stock market free-fall, personal isolation, community lockdown: there is plenty of heart-breaking and spirit-crushing to go around. “Where is God?” we may ask — a question the suffering psalmist asks early and often in his songs. It is ineffably comforting, in today’s reading, to be reminded that God has not gone missing; he is near at hand, walking through this present time with us. We may not understand the reasons for our suffering, but through it all, the LORD longs to be with us, to comfort us. Even as we hunker down to protect ourselves against insidious contagion, we might also strive to keep our hearts and spirits open to the inbreaking and indwelling of the God who loves us beyond description. For that way lies redemption. As Austin Farrer, the 20th-century Anglican theologian, philosopher, and friend of C.S. Lewis noted, “The more you align yourself with God, the greater chance the Holy Spirit has of flowing into this situation and redeeming it in ways neither of us can at present imagine.” No one knows when we will get to the other side of this present crisis; but we who believe in God know that we are not alone, and we trust that He will indeed redeem these trials and, in the words of Paul’s letter to the community of Ephesus, will “accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”
Loving Lord, Be close to me in the painful times of my life and cradle me with your gentle care. Amen.
To hear Philip Langridge sing “Comfort Ye, My People” from George Friedrich Handel’s Messiah, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pz9BCMFoP8
For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032720.cfm
