March 11th Lenten Reflection

John 4:43–54

When the two days were over, Jesus went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.

Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Her world within

by Reshma Agarwal

No one knew

Her deep pain

Her hidden tears

Her fast beating heart

The masks protected her

She didn’t need the wrath

Her world within was hers

No one knew the struggle

The daily chaos from which she emerged to reach work

The chapter she closed before she began another

Drowning the self in the intensity of work

Experiencing the momentary pleasure of something well done

This was her only relief

No one knew

The labyrinth in which she was struggling to keep afloat

The puzzle she was trying to complete

Her world within was only hers

The evening commute was time for preparation

To paint the smile back on her face

To fluff up the heart that was deflated

To make it all right for the little one who eagerly waited

Her different masks for the different stages,

her different worlds

Each one carefully crafted to perfection

Because no one knew

Her world within was only hers