Monday of the
Fourth Week of Lent
(Isaiah 65:17-21; John 4:43-54)
The “Age of Aquarius” portends the dawn of an age of
peace based on astrological signs. Some
believed it arrived in the 1960s and 1970s with the hippie culture. But that peace has proved delusional perhaps because
hippies did not ground their hope in righteous living. The readings today proclaim a more credible
age of fulfillment with Jesus.
In the first reading the prophet Isaiah announces that
God is about to create something wonderful.
There will be no more fleeing one’s land because of war or famine. Rather people will live in the houses they
build and eat the fruit of the gardens they plant. They will survive well beyond a hundred years
because of their righteousness.
We find the completion of this prophecy in Jesus. As the gospel indicates, he restores health
to those who believe in him. Of course,
we need to ask, “Why do not people live forever?” But don’t we share that hope in Jesus? Just as he rose from the dead to live in
glory, we -- his followers – expect to enjoy eternal life without discomfort or
distress.
