20190405
VERIFYING
THE CHRIST IN US
05 APRIL, 2019,
Friday, 4th Week in Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Violet.
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First reading
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Wisdom 2:1,12-22 ©
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Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man
and condemn him to a shameful death
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The godless say to themselves, with their
misguided reasoning:
‘Our life is short and dreary,
nor is there any relief when man’s end
comes,
nor is anyone known who can give release
from Hades.
Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man,
since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our
upbringing.
He claims to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a son of the Lord.
Before us he stands, a reproof to our way
of thinking,
the very sight of him weighs our spirits
down;
his way of life is not like other men’s,
the paths he treads are unfamiliar.
In his opinion we are counterfeit;
he holds aloof from our doings as though
from filth;
he proclaims the final end of the virtuous
as happy
and boasts of having God for his father.
Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself
will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will
take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his
enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with
torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we
have his word for it.’
This is the way they reason, but they are
misled,
their malice makes them blind.
They do not know the hidden things of God,
they have no hope that holiness will be
rewarded,
they can see no reward for blameless
souls.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
33(34):16,18,19-21,23 ©
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The Lord is close to the
broken-hearted.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance
from the earth.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their
distress.
The Lord is close to the
broken-hearted.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed
he will save.
Many are the trials of the just man
but from them all the Lord
will rescue him.
The Lord is close to the
broken-hearted.
He will keep guard over all his bones,
not one of his bones shall be
broken.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his
servants.
Those who hide in him shall
not be condemned.
The Lord is close to the
broken-hearted.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Joel2:12-13
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Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Now, now – it is the Lord who
speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
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Or:
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Mt4:4
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Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the
mouth of God.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
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Gospel
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John 7:1-2,10,25-30 ©
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They would have arrested him, but his
time had not yet come
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Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay
in Judaea, because the Jews were out to kill him.
As
the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, after his brothers had left for the
festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to
himself. Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Isn’t this the
man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing
to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he
is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears
no one will know where he comes from.’
Then,
as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out:
‘Yes, you know me
and you know where I came from.
Yet I have not come of myself:
no, there is one who sent me
and I really come from him,
and you do not know him,
but I know him because I have come from
him
and it was he who sent me.’
They would have arrested him then, but
because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
VERIFYING THE
CHRIST IN US
Lent is a time for
Catechumens to prepare for baptism or for baptized Catholics to renew their
baptismal promises. This
is because baptism means to put on Christ and let Christ be formed in us so
that we regain our likeness of God lost by sin through Adam and our personal
sins. In Christ Jesus, our likeness to God is restored because Christ is
the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. (cf Col 1:15) However, this confession of faith in
Christ is a prerequisite for us if we are to be reborn in Christ. Hence,
before baptism, the question we need to ask ourselves is whether we know who is
the Christ. Is Jesus for us the Way, the Truth and the Life? (cf Jn 14:6) Are we ready to confess
with St Peter, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal
life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of
God.” (Jn 6:68f)
In the gospel, we read
that the people were unsure of the identity of Jesus. They were still searching and
inquiring. Some were speculating but no one actually knew who Jesus was
and His identity and origin. They said, “Can it be true the authorities
have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes
from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from.”
Like them, we too have many views about the identity of Jesus. In a
secularist world, many are giving up faith in Christ. Europe sadly has
lost its faith in Christ and the Christian culture. What is left are just
some vestiges that the faith was once strong, such as monuments and churches,
but they are now empty and deserted. Churches and the Christian Faith are
for those who are unsophisticated.
So, do you know Jesus is
the Christ? Is
He just a great man or teacher in history? Or more? The Son of God? “As
Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out: ‘Yes, you know me and you know where
I came from. Yet I have not come of myself: no, there is one who sent me
and I really come from him, and you do not know him, but I know him because I
have come from him and it was he who sent me.'” The truth is that even if
we knew the historical Jesus, the one who was born in Bethlehem of Mary, lived
in Nazareth and came into public ministry at the age of 30, then crucified and
died at 33, we still cannot claim that we know Him. Faith is required of us
to go beyond the Jesus of History to the Christ of Faith. This is what
the Lord was challenging the people. It is not enough to know His earthly
origin but more importantly, what makes Jesus different from us is His heavenly
origin.
What is the basis for the
divine claim of our Lord? The first reading is a foreshadowing of the
passion and death of Christ. The life and ministry of Jeremiah foreshadowed the
ministry of Christ. The opponents of Jeremiah were threatened by his
prophetic preaching. The life of Jeremiah was a reprimand to their
lifestyle. Hence, they were annoyed by his teaching and said, “Let us lie
in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to
our upbringing.” Jesus too was a nuisance to the religious leaders
because of the way He attacked the shallow motives of the scribes and Pharisees
in observing the laws; and the cheating and dishonesty of the Temple officials.
Secondly, Jesus showed
Himself to be the Son of God by His life. The real proof of what we say is in the
way we live out our beliefs. Jesus, like Jeremiah, was true to
Himself. He was not one who preached one thing but lived another.
What He said about forgiving our enemies and not to take revenge or fight back,
He literally lived out what He taught. (cf Mt 5:38-48) Indeed, this was the test that the
enemies of Jeremiah sought to prove him wrong. “Let us see if what he
says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If
the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part and rescue him from the
clutches of his enemies.”
Jesus was different from
His peers. “Before
us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs
our spirits down; his way of life in not like other men’s, the paths he treads
are unfamiliar.” Jesus lived as a man who was totally free. He was
not constrained by people because He was true to Himself. Even His
opponents recognized Him as such. They said to Him, “Teacher, we know
that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard
people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth.”
(Mk 12:14)
His ways were
unconventional as a rabbi of His day.
He taught with authority, unlike the scribes and the Pharisees. “They were all
amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching –
with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey
him.'” (Mk 1:27) Indeed, He
taught with such authority by His words and life that those who hear Him cannot
but be challenged in their lifestyle. “In his opinion, we are
counterfeit; he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth; he proclaims
the final end of the virtuous as happy and boasts of having God for his
father.”
Thirdly, Jesus showed
Himself to be the Son of God by His special knowledge and intimacy with the
Heavenly Father.
Jesus said, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who
glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know
him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar
like you. But I do know him and I keep his word.” (Jn 8:54f) This was also what the enemies said
of Jeremiah, “He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of
the Lord.” Jesus said to the Jews, “If God were your Father, you would
love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but
he sent me.” (Jn 8:42) In contrast,
the people were ignorant of the truth. Many intellectuals are blinded by
their pride, thinking that they know best and have the answers to everything
through reason alone without God. Scriptures say that “This is the way
they reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind. They do
not know the hidden things of God, they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded,
they can see no reward for blameless souls.”
Finally, the litmus test
in life is not what we say but whether we are ready to die for what we believe
in and sacrifice everything for the kingdom. If Jesus remained a celibate, it was
because Jesus was totally in love with His Father. It was from Him that
He derived His strength for the ministry. If priests and religious are
required to observe the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and
obedience, it is to show that they are willing to give everything for the sake
of the gospel like the apostles. Indeed, the world is watching us.
As Christians, we are always being tested to see whether we truly live out the
gospel of our Lord. Just as the people tested Jeremiah and our Lord for
their convictions through persecution and even torture, we too are being tested
all the time. “Let us see if what he says is true, let us observe what
kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God
will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies. Let
us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of
his and put his endurance to the proof.”
The ultimate proof
whether Jesus was truly a man of God and the Son of God was whether God would
show Himself to be faithful to His Son’s life, ministry, passion, death and
resurrection. Again, this was
what the tormentors of Jeremiah and Christ said, “Let us condemn him to a
shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.”
These words were also said to Christ, “He saved others; he cannot save
himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now,
and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if
he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.'” (cf Mt 27:41-44) Indeed, the world is not just
watching us, but they are watching whether our God will rescue and defend
us. In the final analysis, our authenticity and fidelity to what we
believe and teach is what matters. Our way of life, the way we live, and
especially the way we die, will demonstrate whether we are God’s sons and
daughters and disciples of Christ.
God showed His
endorsement of Christ’s ministry when He raised Him up from the dead at the
resurrection. Indeed, as the
scripture says, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is
crushed he will save. Many are the trials of the just man but from them
all the Lord will rescue him. He will keep guard over all his bones, not
one of his bones shall be broken. The Lord ransoms the souls of his
servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.” If we walk
the way of truth and love, we too will suffer with Christ but we will also
share His glory. “It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit
that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also
be glorified with him.” (Rom 8:16f)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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