Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, April 9, 2025

Today’s Readings, from the USCCB:

Reading 1

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

King Nebuchadnezzar said: "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up? Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up." King Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual and had some of the strongest men in his army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" "Assuredly, O king," they answered. "But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God." Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."

Responsorial Psalm

Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim; praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

Verse Before the Gospel

See Luke 8:15

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

Gospel

John 8:31-42

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then do what you have heard from the Father."

They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!" So they said to him, "We were not born of fornication. We have one Father, God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me."

Walking in the Fire

There’s a line in today’s first reading that has followed me all morning, one I can’t shake…

“But even if he will not…we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up.”

It’s that quiet defiance. That faithful defiance. That willingness to trust even when the outcome is uncertain. That’s what gets me.

Because I’ve walked through fire. Maybe not a literal furnace like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but I’ve felt the heat of loss, betrayal, heartbreak, failure. I’ve been bound by guilt and thrown into situations I never asked for. I’ve been condemned by people who were once in my corner, judged by the ones I trusted most.

And some days, it felt like the fire was winning.

Some days, it still does.

Bound and Thrown

I used to believe that if I was a good person – if I sacrificed, showed up, helped others, and put my family first – that I would be spared the flames. That faith was some kind of fire insurance. But what I’ve come to realize is this: the fire still comes. The betrayal still happens. The silence from God can still feel deafening.

I think about the season when everything seemed to unravel – the death of both my parents just seventy days apart. The fallout from a personal mistake that spiraled, intensified by those who decided my story was theirs to finish. The whispers, the distance, the pain of being left out and looked down on.

It felt like I was being thrown into the furnace – my name wrapped in shame, my reputation scorched, my sense of self melting under the weight of humiliation.

And I’ll admit it – I didn’t feel holy. I didn’t feel like someone who could calmly say, “But even if He does not…”

I felt lost.

Who Walks With Me?

But this is the miracle buried in today’s reading.

Because the king looks into the furnace expecting to see three men writhing in agony – and instead, he sees four.

“The fourth looks like a son of God.”

That’s what I hold onto.

Not that the fire won’t come.

But that I won’t walk through it alone.

And honestly? That’s all I’ve ever really wanted. To know that someone would stay. That when the heat rises and the accusations swirl and the world turns its back, someone would still stand next to me.

Sometimes that someone has been a friend. Sometimes it’s been my sons – without even knowing it. Sometimes, despite everything I’ve put her through, it’s been my wife – who still chooses me, still shows up. And more than anyone, I believe it’s been Jesus. Even when I didn’t feel it. Even when I didn’t deserve it. Even when I was sure I was too far gone.

He walked with me.

He walks with me still.

Freedom From Within

In the Gospel, Jesus talks about freedom – the kind that only comes from truth. And that line hits harder than I expect

“Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin… but if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.”

I used to think freedom meant feeling happy, whole, untouchable. I thought it meant things going well. Prayers answered. Wounds healed. Shame gone.

But now I understand it differently.

Freedom isn’t the absence of sin or shame – it’s knowing you are no longer defined by it.

It’s knowing the past doesn’t have the final say.

It’s hearing Jesus whisper, “You are still mine.”

Even after the furnace. Even after the mistakes. Even after you’ve believed the lie that says you’ll never get it right again.

Freedom is walking back into the world not trying to prove yourself – but knowing you’ve already been proven worthy by a love that refused to walk away.

The Fire and the Forge

There’s another image I’ve thought about often…the idea that fire doesn’t just destroy – it refines.

And maybe all of this pain has been shaping me.

Not punishing me. Not disqualifying me. But forging me.

I think about the way I’ve learned to listen better now. The way I’ve grown quieter in rooms where I used to need to be heard. The way I reach out to others who’ve been cast aside – because I know what it feels like. The way my faith has become less about performance and more about presence.

Would I have chosen this path? No.

But I wouldn’t trade what I’ve learned in the fire.

Because I’ve seen what it means to be unbound. I’ve felt the mercy of a God who steps into the flames with me. I’ve heard the truth that sets me free – and I’m learning to believe it.

Still Standing

So where does that leave me today?

Somewhere between the heat and the healing. Somewhere between “even if He doesn’t” and “He already has.” Somewhere between scars that still ache and hope that dares to rise.

I’m not out of the fire yet.

But I’m still standing.

And maybe that’s the miracle.