Wednesday, March 17, 2021

 Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

(Isaiah 49:8-15; John 5:17-30)

As St. Patrick is the patron of Ireland, the words of the characteristic Irish ballad, “Danny Boy,” may be recalled today.  They tell of a parent calling for his or her son who has left his homeland.  The lad may have gone off to war or perhaps to the United States.  His return is not expected soon; indeed, the parent expects to be dead when Danny comes back.  When he does return, the parent asks that he visit his/her grave to say an “Ave” or “Hail Mary.”  Danny is to pray for his parent’s eternal life. Jesus provides reason for the prayer in today’s gospel.

In John’s account of the passion, Jesus is not tried by the Jewish Sanhedrin.  Nevertheless, he faces Jewish interrogations throughout his ministry as in this passage.  In fact, in the other gospels the Jews ask Jesus what is at issue in today’s gospel: whether Jesus is God’s Son.  His affirmative answer includes a declaration that the Father has given him power to judge the dead.  He will determine whether each dead person is worthy or not of eternal life. 

We pray that our dead loved ones will be just mercifully by the Son of God.  They were not perfect, but they did do “good deeds,” the criterion for a positive judgment.  As we pray the “Ave” or “Hail Mary” for our dead, we also recommend ourselves for prayer.  We ask the Virgin to pray for us “now and at the hour of our death.”