20200328
WHO
IS JESUS?
28 March, 2020, Saturday, 4th
Week in Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Jeremiah 11:18-20 ©
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'Let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name
may be quickly forgotten'
The Lord revealed
it to me; I was warned. O Lord, that was when you opened my eyes to their
scheming. I for my part was like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house,
not knowing the schemes they were plotting against me, ‘Let us destroy the tree
in its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his
name may be quickly forgotten!’
But
you, the Lord of Hosts, who pronounce a just sentence,
who
probe the loins and heart,
let
me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I
have committed my cause to you.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 7:2-3,9-12 ©
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Lord
God, I take refuge in you.
Lord
God, I take refuge in you.
From
my pursuer save me and rescue me,
lest
he tear me to pieces like a lion
and
drag me off with no one to rescue me.
Lord
God, I take refuge in you.
Give
judgement for me, Lord; I am just
and
innocent of heart.
Put
an end to the evil of the wicked!
Make
the just stand firm,
you
who test mind and heart,
O
just God!
Lord
God, I take refuge in you.
God
is the shield that protects me,
who
saves the upright of heart.
God
is a just judge
slow
to anger;
but
he threatens the wicked every day.
Lord
God, I take refuge in you.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ezk33:11
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Praise
and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
I
take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it
is the Lord who speaks –
but
in the turning back of a wicked man
who
changes his ways to win life.
Praise
and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
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Or:
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cf.Lk8:15
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Praise
and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Blessed
are those who,
with
a noble and generous heart,
take
the word of God to themselves
and
yield a harvest through their perseverance.
Praise
and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
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Gospel
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John 7:40-52 ©
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The Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without
hearing him
Several people
who had been listening to Jesus said, ‘Surely he must be the prophet’, and some
said, ‘He is the Christ’, but others said, ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee?
Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come
from the town of Bethlehem?’ So the people could not agree about him. Some
would have liked to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands on him.
The
police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, ‘Why
haven’t you brought him?’ The police replied, ‘There has never been anybody who
has spoken like him.’ ‘So’ the Pharisees answered ‘you have been led astray as
well? Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees? This
rabble knows nothing about the Law – they are damned.’ One of them,
Nicodemus – the same man who had come to Jesus earlier – said to
them, ‘But surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without
giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about?’ To this they answered,
‘Are you a Galilean too? Go into the matter, and see for yourself: prophets do
not come out of Galilee.’
WHO IS JESUS?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ JER
11:18-20; PS 7:2-3, 9-12; JN 7:40-52 ]
The context of the
reaction of the people to the words of Jesus in today’s scripture reading was
His proclamation that He would give them the living water, just as Moses gave
the people water in the desert.
“Jesus stood up and proclaimed, ‘If any one thirsts, let him come to me and
drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart
shall flow rivers of living water.'” (Jn 7:37f)
Earlier on, the Lord multiplied loaves for Five Thousand, signifying that He
was the New Moses who had come to give them the bread of life just as Moses
gave them manna in the desert. So the image of a New Moses caused the
crowd to wonder, “Who is Jesus? Is He a prophet? Or is He the
Christ?”
These are questions we
need to ask as well, especially for those who are preparing for the sacrament
of baptism. Our answer will
determine whether we are willing to stand up for Jesus and follow Him to the
cross as He asked of His disciples. “If any man would come after me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt 16:24)
Indeed, throughout the ministry of Jesus, this question kept surfacing in the
minds of the apostles as well. When Jesus calmed the storm at sea, they
said, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?” (Mk 4:41)
After the discourse of the Eucharist, when “many of his disciples drew back and
no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go
away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to
know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:66-69)
And when Jesus had to make a decision to go to Calvary, He asked His
disciples on the way to Caesarea Philippi, “Who do men say that I am?” (Mk 8:27)
Predictably, they were
all divided as to the identity of Jesus. “So the people could not agree about him.
Some would have liked to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands on
him.” Some who had listened to the Lord’s preaching and followed Him
said, “‘Surely he must be the prophet’, and some said, ‘He is the Christ’, but
others said, ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the
Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of
Bethlehem?'” This is the same confusion about who Jesus is today.
Some think He is just a man; others think He is a prophet or a great teacher or
even a misguided martyr. However, there are those who believe that
He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
What is the cause of
confusion about the identity of Jesus? Firstly, there was a lack of
information about Him.
They knew that the Christ would be a descendant of David and be born in
Bethlehem. (cf Mic 5:2) However, they did not know that Jesus in
fact was born in Bethlehem, the City of David, and that Joseph, His foster
father was a descendant of King David. They thought that Jesus came from
Nazareth. So too, when we lack intellectual knowledge of our faith, about
Jesus, the doctrines of the Church, we are confused about what we
believe. When others challenge us in our faith, we feel shaken
because we know so little about our faith. We are easily influenced by
those who hold a different understanding of Jesus. For the catechumen to
accept Jesus as His Lord and Saviour, it not enough that he attends RCIA
sessions but he must also undertake the personal responsibility of reading up
on the Catholic Faith; not just what we believe but why we believe, the
practices of the Church, the beauty and meaning of the Sacraments.
Ignorance is no
excuse. In
today’s world, whatever information we want to find about our Faith is
available on the internet. Of course, one must go to the right source
where the materials are authentic and truly convey the truths about the
Catholic Faith. We need to verify the reliability of the sources. We can
study about our Faith today even without attending any seminar. It is a
question of whether we are willing to invest the time to do research, study and
reflect. Unfortunately, most of us are lazy and we tend to rely on “fake”
news disseminated by others that distort our faith and values.
Even then, growing in
intellectual knowledge is just a means to meet Jesus personally. Sometimes, with God’s grace, we can meet
Him personally at prayer, in worship, or through the sharing and testimony of
someone who had encountered the Lord. A personal knowledge of Jesus is
the key to finding faith in Him. Those who had the grace to encounter God
working a miracle in their lives, such as a cure from an illness, overcoming a
crisis, effecting a reconciliation, etc were strengthened in their faith.
Of course, God is always coming into our lives, not always in radical ways but
through the daily events of our life, such as someone having a kind word for
us, someone who enlightens us, or someone who understands us.
What is required of us
is sincerity and openness. If we are docile and humble, we will surely
meet the Lord.
Those who cannot encounter the Lord are proud of themselves, their success,
achievements and their intellectual knowledge, thinking they have the answers
to everything in life. They do not need God because they do not
want God to run their lives. They want to live according to their will and freedom.
They seek absolute freedom. This explains why some believe in Jesus
and some do not. Even the Temple Guards were receptive of Jesus.
When queried as to why they never arrested Jesus, they said, “There has never
been anybody who has spoken like him.” Even Nicodemus was receptive to
Him when he defended Jesus in front of his colleagues. “But surely the
Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing
and discovering what he is about?”
However, there are those
who are simply blind because of obstinacy. The Jewish leaders could not accept
another competitor to their office. They were jealous of Jesus’
popularity and fearful of their revered institutions and the threat to their
security and vested interests. They were malicious and had
ill-intent. Instead of listening and searching for the truth, they
already decided against Jesus. They wanted to get rid of Jesus
regardless. They were just like the Israelites during the time of
Jeremiah. He was a threat to their status quo because he was exposing the
corruption, hypocrisy and crimes of the people, especially the leaders.
Even his own people were waiting to eliminate him. Jeremiah bemoaned, “I
for my part was like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house, not
knowing the schemes they were plotting against me, ‘Let us destroy the tree in
its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name
may be quickly forgotten!'”
Today, we are asked to
have the courage to face the truth about our lives and the identity of Jesus. Are we ready to stand up for Jesus
as Nicodemus did for the truth, or are we lacking in courage to defend the
Faith? The truth is always difficult for people to accept.
But if Christ is our Lord, then He deserves our fidelity and loyalty. If
we submit ourselves to the Lord, we will find true freedom. The freedom
of the world is a pseudo-freedom. To do whatever one likes is to be under
the bondage of sin, one’s passion and sensual needs. Most of all, whilst
the world rejects the Lord and His gospel, they are afraid to be rejected by
public opinion. They are slaves to public opinion about how they should
live their lives. Their freedom is not freedom but slavery to what people
say and think. Christ’s freedom is a freedom to be true to ourselves,
which is to be true to God, free to love selflessly and inclusively. It
is a freedom that gives us the strength to carry the cross of love.
Through innocent and vicarious suffering for the salvation of others, like
Jeremiah and our Lord, we will convict the world about the truth of Jesus
Christ.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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