Wednesday of the
Fourth Week of Lent
(Isaiah 49:8-15; John 5:17-30)
A doctor had taken a special course in listening to
heartbeats. He became able to detect not
only the thump of a heart functioning badly but also the whiz of its slightest
tremor. This ability enabled the doctor to
warn young patients of heart problems that will likely face thirty years into
the future. In today’s gospel Jesus
speaks of a hearing sensitivity in his followers as sharp as this doctor’s.
He says that those who hear his word his voice will come
out of their graves to pass into eternal life.
What does his voice sound like?
It is the whimper of those in need.
It is the plea of the sick for companionship and the petition of the
refugee for safe harbor. Because Jesus’
followers can discern such sounds, they are able to perceive his call when they
are dead.
