Day 38: In the Father’s Hands – Discerning Hearts Podcast

0:00Aletan spiritual journey with discerning hearts from ashes to glory. Day 38. In the Father's hands, a reading from the Holy Gospel according to John, chapter 10, verses 31 through 42. The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, �I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father, for which of these are you stoning me.� The Jews answered him, �We are not stoning you for doing a good work, but for blasphemy. You are only a man and you claim to be God.� Jesus answered, �Is it not written in your law?� I said, �You are gods.� So the law uses the word gods of those to whom the word of God was addressed, and Scripture

1:01cannot be rejected. Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, �You are blaspheming, because he says, �I am the Son of God. If I am not doing my Father's work, there is no need to believe me. But if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do, then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.� They tried to arrest him then, but he eluded them. He went back again to the far side of the Jordan, to the district where John had once been baptizing, and he stayed there. Many people who came to him said, �John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true, and many of them believed in him.� As we near the end of land, the tension in the gospel rises. Jesus is no longer met with curiosity, but with hostility.

2:04His words are not misunderstood. They are rejected. Still, he does not retreat in fear. He rests in the truth of who he is, and he remains faithful to the will of the Father. This moment invites us to consider the cost of fidelity. When we strive to follow Christ in a world that may not understand or accept us, we too may experience opposition, confusion, or silence. These are not signs of failure. Often there are moments of deep purification. Invitations to trust more completely in the Father just as Jesus does. As sustained Jesus was not popularity or ease, it was union. The Father is in me, and I am in the Father. This is the heart of our journey, too. Len is not about performance. It is about deeper intimacy with the God who has consecrated and sent us into the world with a mission of love.

3:05And sometimes, faithfulness means walking forward even when we do not see the fruit. But that does not make the road easy. Many of us wrestle with fears or pressure from relationships, from work, or from the weight of our own expectations. In those moments, we need companions. The Church encourages us to seek wise counsel, a spiritual friend, a confessor, a priest or a religious who can help us remember who we are and who we belong to. We are not alone. The Desert Father of Agress Pentechus wrote, When the mind is stripped and empty of thoughts, then it can enter into the depths where Christ dwells. It is in the stillness that we can begin to recognize the voice of the Father and rest in his care. Let us not fear the places of quiet when we feel unseen or unrecognized.

4:05It may be there that Christ draws us into his own hidden life of love. St. Teresa of Calcutta who knew well the silence of God reminds us. God has not called me to be successful. He has called me to be faithful. Today, let us walk with Jesus and trust, even when misunderstood or rejected. We are in the Father's hands. That is where our peace lies. The Jews fetched stones to stone him. So Jesus said to them, I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father. For which of these are you stoning me? The Jews answered him. We are not stoning you for doing a good work, but for blasphemy. You are only a man and you claim to be God. Jesus answered, Is it not written in your law? I said you are gods.

5:06So the law uses the word gods of those to whom the word of God was addressed and scripture cannot be rejected. Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, you are blaspheming because he says, I am the Son of God. If I am not doing my Father's work, there is no need to believe me. But if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do, then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. They tried to arrest him then, but he eluded them. He went back again to the far side of the Jordan, to the district where John had once been baptizing, and he stayed there. Many people who came to him said, John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true, and many of them believed in him.

6:06Are there places in your life where you are experiencing resistance or misunderstanding in your faith journey? How can you deepen your trust in the Father even when his presence feels hidden? Who might you turn to for support and wise counsel in your spiritual walk? Or Jesus, you are not afraid to speak truth, even when it brought rejection. You stayed faithful because you knew the love of the Father. Teach us to trust in that same love. Help us not to be discouraged by the misunderstandings or struggles we face. Let us rest in your presence and draw strength from the knowledge that we are never alone. Amen.