"down by the riverside"
"In that place, many came to believe in Him." —John 10:42
In the temple, at Solomon's Portico, Jesus was rejected. Many people reached for rocks to stone Him (Jn 10:31). They also tried to arrest Him (Jn 10:39). Jesus "eluded their grasp" and "went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier" (Jn 10:39-40). "In that place, many came to believe in Him."
Why was Jesus not accepted in the holy place, the temple, but believed in "down by the riverside"? It was because John had been administering his baptism of repentance "down by the riverside." Wherever there is repentance, there is faith. Where there is no repentance, Jesus is rejected and His Church persecuted.
If we have had a Lent of repentance, then we will have an Easter of faith. If our Lent is lacking repentance, however, our Easter will not be pleasing to God. We will even be used consciously or unconsciously to hinder God's work. Therefore, we must repent. Even if we have let sin blind us to our need for repentance, we must ask the Lord to break through our spiritual blindness, convict us of our sins, and empower us to repent.
"Repent: the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mk 1:15, our transl.).
Prayer: Father, immerse me in the baptism of repentance (Mk 1:4).
Promise: "Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!" —Jer 20:13
Praise: Theresa consciously renews her baptism through the frequent use of the Sacraments and sacramentals.
Reference: (Break through spiritual blindness by reading the Bible every day. We have several tape series to help you. Overview of the Bible is six audio tapes starting with AV 10A-1 or three video tapes starting with V-10A. 15-minute Bible Teaching - New Testament is forty audio tapes starting with #700. An Introduction to each Book of the Bible is 32 audio tapes starting with AV 21-1 or 17 video tapes starting with V-21.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 26, 2009
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