I am Not Alone
Fifth Monday of Lent
Laura van der Linden – DOJ Canberra
Today’s first reading is full of sin and brokenness; disturbing in its crude cruelty, it is chillingly familiar and displays the worst of humankind’s tendencies. We recoil in dismay and disgust at the injustice, objectification, violence and impurity to which two profoundly corrupt elders subject Susannah. An uncomfortable account to hear at Mass and one we would rather skip over.
Yet in the disturbing guts of this story we find treasure. In the heart of Susannah, while the world around her is dark, dirty and depraved, lives a brave and bright trust. “Tearfully she turned her eyes to heaven, her heart confident in God.” This line breaks through the muck and mess and reveals a faith in God-with-us that can’t be dimmed or destroyed.
Jesus’ words in the gospel today – “I am not alone: the one who sent me is with me” – contain the fullness of trust in the Father, which Susannah was graced with and we are all called to. As we draw closer to Holy Week, and as we make our way through lives filled with their own mess and sin, let us open up to a greater trust in our good Father, who is always with us.
1st Reading: Daniel 13.1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-64
Gospel: John 8.12-20
