Fourth Friday of Lent
20 March 2026
The Lord Is Close to the Brokenhearted
Today’s readings allow us to see the deeper conflict that surrounds Jesus and the mission He has come to accomplish from two angles—one written centuries before Christ, and one unfolding during His own ministry.
The first reading from the Book of Wisdom is striking because it reads almost like a prophecy of the Passion. The wicked speak among themselves and say about the just man: “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us.” Why does the just person provoke such hostility? The text tells us: the just man’s life exposes their wrongdoing. His presence is a quiet accusation. He reminds them of a way of life they have rejected.
So their response is not conversion—but elimination. “Let us see whether his words be true… Let us test him with insult and torture.” They convince themselves that if he truly belongs to God, God will rescue him. But the reading ends with a haunting line: “These were their thoughts, but they erred.” They misunderstand everything. They think they are judging the just man, but in reality their own hearts are being revealed.
When we turn to the Gospel, we see this very dynamic playing out around Jesus. The tension in Jerusalem is rising. People are debating about Him. Some are confused. Some are intrigued. Others are openly hostile. “They were trying to arrest him.” But the Gospel adds an important detail: “No one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.” This line appears several times in John’s Gospel, and it reminds us that the events surrounding Jesus are not random. The hostility, the plots, the growing tension—all of it is moving toward a moment that God Himself is guiding.
And in the middle of that tension stands Jesus, calmly continuing His mission. He teaches openly. He refuses to hide. He does exactly what He sees the Father doing. But the more clearly He reveals the truth, the more opposition grows.
The same pattern from the Book of Wisdom is unfolding before our eyes. The just one becomes a target precisely because his life reveals what others would rather avoid.
That pattern has not disappeared.
Whenever truth appears, it often provokes resistance. Whenever goodness exposes injustice, it creates tension. Whenever someone lives with integrity, it can disturb those who have grown comfortable with compromise.
But the Psalm today gives us a quiet and powerful reassurance: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”
That promise matters because the path of the just person is not always easy. Those who remain faithful often experience misunderstanding, rejection, or suffering. Yet the Psalm reminds us that God is not distant from those moments. He is close to the brokenhearted. He stands near to those whose faithfulness leads them into difficulty. He does not abandon those who trust Him.
In fact, the entire mystery of Christ will soon reveal just how close God comes. When Jesus is rejected, God is there. When Jesus suffers, God is there. When the just one is condemned, God is there. The closeness of God does not always remove suffering—but it transforms it.
And that is the deeper movement Lent is preparing us to understand.
As the opposition against Jesus grows in the Gospel, we are being invited to look more carefully at the heart of Christ. He continues His mission not with anger or fear, but with trust in the Father. Even when surrounded by hostility, He knows that the Father has not abandoned Him.
And that same truth becomes a source of hope for us.
Because in every moment of discouragement, in every experience of injustice, in every time when faithfulness feels costly—the same promise remains.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
Not far away. Not indifferent. Close.
The brokenhearted are never alone.
Because God Himself has chosen to stand with them.