John 10:25. [Jesus said], “I have told you, and you do not
believe.”
In the 1950’s, my father was an up-and-coming chemical
engineer with Esso Research and Development, having survived the Great
Depression during his childhood in Brooklyn, NY. My brother and I were very
fortunate to be children of privilege in the suburbs of northern New Jersey.
“If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times…” My father’s voice echoes
in my memory. I can still hear his irritated frustration, “Turn off the lights!
Close the door or you’ll let out all the heat! Don’t let the screen door slam!”
While he may have thought I wasn’t listening (a child eager to run out and
play), to this day I unconsciously turn off the lights out of a habit that
started with paying attention to my dad’s voice. More importantly, he set the
example, reinforcing his convictions about energy conservation and frugality. I
can still see him in my mind’s eye, going from room to room, shutting off the
lights behind us.
I imagine that same tone in Jesus’ voice. I hear his
mounting disdain with the Jews in the Temple. Jesus is cagey with these inquisitors
as they implore him to tell them once and for all that he is indeed the
Messiah. “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my
Father’s name testify to me.” Jesus seems to be saying, ‘if you’d only pay
attention, you’d know who I am. My followers believe because they have been
listening, paying close attention and recognizing that my actions speak louder
than words to reveal who I am.’ Jesus concludes with, “The Father and I are
one.”
Jesus reveals who he is through his ministry of preaching
and teaching, healing and performing miracles such as the feeding of the 5,000
and changing the water into wine. Jesus’s actions are not to prove his
credentials, but to reveal the fulfillment of God’s redeeming love for the
world.
Lent offers us an opportunity to deepen our commitment to
a way of life, as followers of Jesus Christ. Lent provides us another chance to
listen more carefully and focus our attention, reflect upon our patterns,
intentionally re-turn to God, respond to those in need and put God’s love into
action. What is the Good Shepherd calling you to?
—Aileen Loranger
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