Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together: March 2022

Thursday 31 March 2022

HAVE YOU MADE UP YOUR MIND FOR CHRIST?

20220401 HAVE YOU MADE UP YOUR MIND FOR CHRIST?

01 April, 2022, Friday, 4th Week of Lent

First reading

Wisdom 2:1,12-22 ©

Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man and condemn him to a shameful death

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.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33(34):16,18,19-21,23 ©

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.

The Lord turns his face against the wicked

to destroy their remembrance from the earth.

The just 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.

Gospel Acclamation

Joel2:12-13

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!

Or:

Mt4:4

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!

Gospel

John 7:1-2,10,25-30 ©

They would have arrested him, but his time had not yet come

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.

HAVE YOU MADE UP YOUR MIND FOR CHRIST?

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [WIS 2:1,12-22; PS 34:16,18,19-21,23; JN 7:1-2,10, 25-30 ]

As we come to the end of the 4th week of Lent and embark on the 5th week, traditionally celebrated as Passion Week, we need to be clear of who Jesus is for us if we want to enter into His passion. It is a decision that we need to take if we are to commit ourselves to Jesus. Are you ready to follow Jesus?

St John makes it clear that the gospel was written “so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20: 31) The question is, have you come to this faith in Jesus as the Son of the Living God? This was the same crucial question Jesus asked His disciples in Caesarea Philippi, “‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'” (Mt 16:13-16)

Throughout the gospel of John, the evangelist showed how this question was playing in the mind of those who had encountered Him. Many were unsure who Jesus was. As in today’s gospel, they were wondering who Jesus was. Those who had not encountered Jesus personally were speculating, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill? Can it be true that 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.” Indeed, Jesus was a mystery to most people during His time. We read that “not even His brothers believe in Him.” (Jn 7:5) They were not too sure who He really was because Jesus had not yet fully revealed Himself. Indeed, when asked by His brothers to reveal Himself in Judea, Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come.” (Jn 7:6; cf Jn 7:3-10)

Nevertheless, coming to know Jesus requires us to take the journey of faith. It calls for docility and openness to Him. This journey in faith is demonstrated in the different characters of the gospel in John. In the story of the Samaritan woman, Jesus was first known as a prophet, then the Messiah, and finally proclaimed as the Saviour of the world. (cf Jn 4:19, 25, 42). In today’s gospel, the crowd called Jesus “a good man” (Jn 7:12), the Messiah (Jn 7:26). In the story of the Blind man, he came to know his healer as Jesus (Jn 9:11); then a prophet (Jn 9:17) and then implicitly the Messiah (Jn 9:22) and finally, he called Him, “Lord”. (Jn 9:37f)

Who is Jesus to you? This is the question we need to answer from our hearts and confess with our lips. Do we really know where He came from? Is our knowledge of Jesus like those without faith in the world? If we were to ask unbelievers who Jesus is, they would say, “He was a good man, a holy man, a miracle worker and a great prophet, the son of Joseph and Mary. He died a tragic death. He was a misguided martyr who claimed to be the Son of God.” That is all they could say about Jesus. That is why Jesus said, “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.” Just looking at the works of Jesus and even His words alone might not lead us to conclude the real identity of Jesus. What else is required besides knowledge that we acquire from our studies of the life of Jesus?

Revelation is presupposed and faith is the response. This was what the Lord said to Peter when he confessed in Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” (Mt 16:17) Without the gift of revelation, we will never know that Christ is the Son of the Living God. But with this revelation, we need to make an act of faith. This is what St Paul wrote, “if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” (Rom 10:9f)

Have you come to a conviction that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour? Arriving at this faith is critical, without which there is no real confession. It is not enough to say that Jesus is a good man, a healer, a prophet or even the Anointed One of God, but it must be Jesus, the Son of the Living God. We must say with Peter when the Lord asked the Twelve, “‘Do you also wish to go away?’ ^‘Simon Peter answered him, ‘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 6:67-69)

An affirmative answer to this question means that we are ready to share the life of Jesus, which includes His passion, death and resurrection. For after revealing His identity to the apostles, He told them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” (Mt 16:24-26)

Being a Christian is not a calling to a comfortable life. It is a life that is lived virtuously after the example of Christ. It is to live as God’s children. Indeed, this is what we claim, as our detractors even acknowledged in the book of Wisdom. “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 in 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.” The way of Jesus is the way of servanthood. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mt 20: 28) Our life is to be spent in spreading the Good News. “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.” (Mt 10:7f)

Our life is lived in contradiction to the way the world lives. According to the book of Wisdom, the life of the ungodly is one without meaning and purpose, “Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. For we were born by mere chance, and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been.” (Wisdom 2:1f) “For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return from our death, because it is sealed up and no one turns back. ‘Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of the creation to the full as in youth.'” (Wisdom 2:5f) Indeed, for them life is no more than eating, drinking, working and then disappearing from the face of the earth. There is no real purpose in life other than to enjoy and care for oneself. They do not understand why we live our lives virtuously with integrity, compassion and honesty. The book of Wisdom says, “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.” They have no qualms about living a dishonest life because their minds are darkened and their conscience is dulled.

As Christians, we must also be ready to face persecution and opposition. The evil men will say, “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 what Jesus warned us, “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.” (cf Jn 15:18-20)

But when we suffer with Christ for doing what is right and good, this is our final proof that our faith in Jesus is not merely words but truth in action. St Peter wrote, “Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil” (1 Pt 3:16f) Indeed, because we live lives of truth and justice, it will become a reproach to them, especially when they see themselves living miserable and unfulfilling lives. People who are not happy will want to pull others down with them. The evil men will say, “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.”

In our sufferings and trials in living out our Christian identity, let us find courage in the death and resurrection of our Lord. We can identify the psalmist’s words with the passion our Lord. “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.” We can be assured of God’s assistance and vindication if we remain faithful to Him. “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.”

Wednesday 30 March 2022

HOSTILITY AGAINST CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL

20220331 HOSTILITY AGAINST CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL

31 March, 2022, Thursday, 4th Week of Lent

First reading

Exodus 32:7-14 ©

Moses pleads with the Lord his God to spare Israel

The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’

But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth”? Leave your burning wrath; relent and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.’

So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 105(106):19-23 ©

O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.

They fashioned a calf at Horeb

and worshipped an image of metal,

exchanging the God who was their glory

for the image of a bull that eats grass.

O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.

They forgot the God who was their saviour,

who had done such great things in Egypt,

such portents in the land of Ham,

such marvels at the Red Sea.

O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.

For this he said he would destroy them,

but Moses, the man he had chosen,

stood in the breach before him,

to turn back his anger from destruction.

O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn6:63,68

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;

you have the message of eternal life.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Or:

Jn3:16

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:

everyone who believes in him has eternal life.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Gospel

John 5:31-47 ©

You place your hopes on Moses but Moses will be your accuser

Jesus said to the Jews:

‘Were I to testify on my own behalf,

my testimony would not be valid;

but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf,

and I know that his testimony is valid.

You sent messengers to John,

and he gave his testimony to the truth:

not that I depend on human testimony;

no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this.

John was a lamp alight and shining

and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.

But my testimony is greater than John’s:

the works my Father has given me to carry out,

these same works of mine testify

that the Father has sent me.

Besides, the Father who sent me

bears witness to me himself.

You have never heard his voice,

you have never seen his shape,

and his word finds no home in you

because you do not believe in the one he has sent.

‘You study the scriptures,

believing that in them you have eternal life;

now these same scriptures testify to me,

and yet you refuse to come to me for life!

As for human approval, this means nothing to me.

Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you.

I have come in the name of my Father

and you refuse to accept me;

if someone else comes in his own name

you will accept him.

How can you believe,

since you look to one another for approval

and are not concerned

with the approval that comes from the one God?

Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father:

you place your hopes on Moses,

and Moses will be your accuser.

If you really believed him

you would believe me too,

since it was I that he was writing about;

but if you refuse to believe what he wrote,

how can you believe what I say?’

HOSTILITY AGAINST CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EXODUS 32:7-14; JOHN 5:31-47]

Since the healing of the paralyzed man at the Sabbath, we read of the growing hostility and opposition against Jesus from the Jewish leaders. Today, Christianity is in many ways under assault from all sides. Externally, the world is opposed to the teachings of the gospel. Those involved in business and in politics find the gospel a nuisance to their aspirations and their pursuits. Internally, many Catholics are not even convinced of the truth of the Word of God, paying lip service to the Bible as an inspired book with God as the author. Much less do they show allegiance to the teachings of the Holy Father and the Magisterium as authoritative teachers and interpreters of the Word of God!

Why are people opposed to the gospel, including so called Catholics and Christians? In the first reading, we read that the people apostatized simply because they were looking for a vacuum to fill their empty lives when Moses left them to go to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. Many people seek to fill their emptiness by creating false gods in their lives. Idolatry is the worship of false gods, something that cannot give true happiness and life. In a word, idolatry is a worship of nothingness. Those who worship idols will come to naught. “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.” (Isa 44:9) “Those who make them will be like them and so will all who trust in them.” (Ps 115:8) Idolatry can come in the form of worship of our spouse, our children, our work, our possessions, power, status and our pleasures in life. These things cannot last and bring us real happiness.

Secondly, like the Jewish leaders, people are opposed to the gospel because of selfish interests. They are afraid to lose their status quo in society. As Jesus remarked, “Besides, I know you too well; you have no love of God in you. I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else comes in his own name you will accept him. How can you believe since you look to one another for approval and are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God?” People in the world, including nominal Catholics, reject the truth of the gospel because their interests and desires of this world are being challenged. For some, they feel that the gospel is a cause of them losing business in the entertainment world or power in the political and scientific world, especially when the Church condemns certain forms of entertainment or immoral bio-ethical practices and social injustices. When the profits of such people are undermined, they defend their position by aggressively attacking the teachings of the Church and the Bible.

Thirdly, enemies of the Church are those who worship their intelligence. They have deep intellectual pride. They take offence when their views are not accepted. They only believe in themselves and their reasoning. Anything that is opposed to their beliefs or their reasoning is not acceptable. They lack humility to recognize the limits of reason, particularly their own reasoning. In the final analysis, they are not keen to seek the truth but they only want to prove that others are wrong. They want to show themselves to be wise in the world. That is why they would go to the social media to make sure their views are heard loud and clear; and would vehemently defend their position right to the end. As Jesus said, they are seeking human approval. Jesus came and spoke only for our salvation, out of love for us. He made it clear, “as for human approval, this means nothing to me.” Jesus was not interested in arguing with the Jewish authorities. He knew that such intellectual arguments will go nowhere because there is a lack of sincerity to search for the truth. All they wanted was to prove Jesus wrong. So too, there are many enemies of the Church, within and without, who just want to flaunt their sophisticated arguments, showing themselves to be very intelligent, not to defend the truth but to win an argument.

In the light of such opposition, what must we do? How do we respond to our critics? Firstly, we depend on human witnesses. Jesus appealed to the Jews, “Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid; but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is valid. You sent messengers to John and he gave his testimony to the truth.” We too need Catholics to be witnesses to Christ. We need courageous Catholics who are willing to stand up for their faith. We need Catholics who are living signs of God’s love and mercy in the world. We are called to be like John the Baptist, by being a light in darkness, not to curse the darkness but simply to be that light. Indeed, “John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.” There is nothing more convincing than Christians witnessing to the truth in their lives by words and deeds. Unfortunately, many of our Catholics are hiding behind the light and not allowing their lamp to shine. As Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:14-16)

Secondly, we need to rely on the works of Christ. “But my testimony is greater than John’s: the works my Father has given me to carry out, these same works of mine testify that the Father has sent me. Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself.” Clearly, the best testimony is always in the fruits and works of what a person teaches. What he says is not as important as how he lives his life. In the case of Jesus, we have seen His miracles at work, and His works of mercy, compassion and healing. How do we know the gospel is true if not through the fruits of love that Catholics manifest in their lives? Catholics need to give testimony to Jesus at work in their lives. St Paul wrote, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil 2:12b, 13) When we listen to the beautiful testimonies of how God works miracles in the lives of our Catholics, especially when they are transformed, then we know that this God we worship is a living God and the true God.

Thirdly, we need to seek the scriptures to find the Lord. Jesus reprimanded the Jews, “You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape, and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in the one he has sent.” This was because they sought the scriptures to select texts that justified their prejudices. They failed to see that the scriptures point us to Jesus, the truth as proclaimed by Him. We cannot see God but we can see God and hear Him in Jesus. This is what Jesus said, “You study the scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life; now these same scriptures testify to me and yet you refuse to come to me for life!” In truth, the scriptures point towards Jesus as the fulfilment. He enlightened the disciples at Emmaus, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Lk 24:44) Again at the Transfiguration when Moses and Elijah appeared together with Jesus, we have a reiteration that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Laws as represented by Moses and the eschatological prophet as represented by Elijah. In a word, Jesus is the Word of God in person, because all the Laws and the prophecies are fulfilled in Him. This explains why Jesus said, “Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you place your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be your accuser. If you really believed him, you would believe me too, since it was I that he was writing about but if you refuse to believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?”

So today, let us testify for Jesus. Let us be His witnesses and light in the world. Let us search the scriptures, not to look for answers to satisfy our prejudices and preconceived notions, but to allow scriptures to lead us to Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. When we allow the Word of God to work in and through us, our lives will be changed. Indeed, “when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13)

Tuesday 29 March 2022

CHRIST RESTORES THE COVENANT GOD MADE WITH HIS PEOPLE

20220330 CHRIST RESTORES THE COVENANT GOD MADE WITH HIS PEOPLE

30 March, 2022, Wednesday, 4th Week of Lent

First reading

Isaiah 49:8-15 ©

On the day of salvation I will help you

Thus says the Lord:

At the favourable time I will answer you,

on the day of salvation I will help you.

(I have formed you and have appointed you

as covenant of the people.)

I will restore the land

and assign you the estates that lie waste.

I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,

to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

On every roadway they will graze,

and each bare height shall be their pasture.

They will never hunger or thirst,

scorching wind and sun shall never plague them;

for he who pities them will lead them

and guide them to springs of water.

I will make a highway of all the mountains,

and the high roads shall be banked up.

Some are on their way from afar,

others from the north and the west,

others from the land of Sinim.

Shout for joy, you heavens; exult, you earth!

You mountains, break into happy cries!

For the Lord consoles his people

and takes pity on those who are afflicted.

For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,

the Lord has forgotten me.’

Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,

or fail to cherish the son of her womb?

Yet even if these forget,

I will never forget you.

Responsorial Psalm

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

compassionate to all his creatures.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and loving in all his deeds.

The Lord supports all who fall

and raises all who are bowed down.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

The Lord is just in all his ways

and loving in all his deeds.

He is close to all who call him,

who call on him from their hearts.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn3:16

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:

everyone who believes in him has eternal life.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Or:

Jn11:25, 26

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;

whoever believes in me will never die.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Gospel

The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live

Jesus said to the Jews, ‘My Father goes on working, and so do I.’ But that only made them even more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.

To this accusation Jesus replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

the Son can do nothing by himself;

he can do only what he sees the Father doing:

and whatever the Father does the Son does too.

For the Father loves the Son

and shows him everything he does himself,

and he will show him even greater things than these,

works that will astonish you.

Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,

so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses;

for the Father judges no one;

he has entrusted all judgement to the Son,

so that all may honour the Son

as they honour the Father.

Whoever refuses honour to the Son

refuses honour to the Father who sent him.

I tell you most solemnly,

whoever listens to my words,

and believes in the one who sent me,

has eternal life;

without being brought to judgement

he has passed from death to life.

I tell you most solemnly,

the hour will come – in fact it is here already –

when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,

and all who hear it will live.

For the Father, who is the source of life,

has made the Son the source of life;

and, because he is the Son of Man,

has appointed him supreme judge.

Do not be surprised at this,

for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves

at the sound of his voice:

those who did good will rise again to life;

and those who did evil, to condemnation.

I can do nothing by myself;

I can only judge as I am told to judge,

and my judging is just,

because my aim is to do not my own will,

but the will of him who sent me.’

CHRIST RESTORES THE COVENANT GOD MADE WITH HIS PEOPLE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9,13-14,17-18; John 5:17-30]

We are in the fourth week of Lent. The fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday, the Sunday of rejoicing because the liturgy wants us to anticipate the joy of resurrection ahead of us. The common theme that runs through this week is that God has come to give us life. This theme had already been underscored on Sunday when in the Prodigal Son story, the father said, “we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Lk 15:32) The scripture readings today also speak about renewal and, most of all, restoration of life.

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, God was addressing the Israelites in exile. They were languishing away in Babylon. They had lost everything, land, Temple and Kingdom. They were captives exiled in Babylon. As a consequence, the people were saying, “Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.” But this was far from the truth. God is always faithful to His covenant even when we are not faithful to Him. If the Lord abandoned the people for a while, it was to bring them back to realization and repentance. But God was ever ready to bring them back when they returned to Him. Indeed, as the Lord said, “Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you.” Such is God’s faithful love for His people.

But they would need to wait for the right time for God to intervene. “Thus, says Yahweh: At the time of my favour I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have helped you.” This is true in life as well. When we are too quick to help or to intervene, the time might not be right. Even last Sunday’s Prodigal Son came back only after having gone through the misery of his sins and experienced what it felt like to lose his sonship and be treated like a slave, worse than the swine. Only “when he came to his senses”, realization and repentance, was he then ready to return home. (Lk 15:17-20) So too for the people of Israel, in their return to Jerusalem.

But God had prepared a lasting covenant beyond even what Isaiah prophesied. “Along the roadway they will graze, and any bare height will be their pasture. They will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them, will guide them to springs of water. I shall turn all my mountains into a road and my highways will be raised aloft. Look! Here they come from far away, look, these from the north and the west, those from the land of Sinim.” And the One who would be appointed “to be the covenant for a people, to restore the land, to return ravaged properties, to say to prisoners, “Come out,” to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves'” is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He will establish the everlasting Covenant, as the prophet Jeremiah said, “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'” (Jer 31:33) The Lord also said, “Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'” (Ez 37:13f)

In the gospel, Jesus proclaimed Himself to be one with the Father, not in metaphysical abstract and static terms as in the Greek definition of the Holy Trinity, three persons, one nature, equal in essence and the two natures of Christ in one person. Rather, St John used dynamic terms to describe His identity and nature by speaking of Jesus sharing the same will, knowledge and power of the Heavenly Father. Jesus employed verbs rather than adjectives to describe His relationship with the Father. Jesus’ real identity was that of the Son of the Father. As the Jews rightly surmised, “he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.” This was something that the Jews and the Muslims, the great monotheistic religions cannot accept. They might be able to accept Jesus as a prophet, but monotheism cannot permit any division in God. For them, this is the greatest heresy of the Christians, to call Jesus, God, or even the Son of God.

Yet, today’s gospel text does not make it easier for us Christians to make a compromise for the sake of religious harmony and to tell the world that Jesus was only a great teacher, a man and a founder of a religion like all other founders of religions. Of course, there are some Christians who, wanting to appear acceptable to people of other faiths, would try to say that Jesus is just one of the ways to come to God, but He is not the only way. In other words, all ways lead to God and it does not matter whether one believes in Jesus or not.

In no uncertain terms, the Lord in today’s gospel claims total identification with His Father. In action, Jesus acts like the Father, and on His Father’s behalf. Like the Father who goes on working even on Sabbath since He continues to give life by the birth of new babies and healing the sick; judging those who die and come before Him, Jesus continues to work even in Sabbath, healing sick people, mending broken lives, reconciling sinners with God, and being judge as well, since all will be judged in Him. “Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses; for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgement to the Son.” If Jesus were the life-giver and the judge, He therefore could not be anything less than God His Father who is the source of life and the Judge of all.

This union with His Father in His actions is the consequence of Jesus sharing the same will and knowledge of His Father. To those who accused Him of blasphemy and heresy, He said, “I tell you most solemnly, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does himself.” Jesus acted always in union with the Father in all things. He was one with the Father. He did nothing of Himself but from Him. Jesus said, “I can do nothing by myself: I can only judge as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because my aim is to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” The Father is the source of life. The power of the Son is a derivative power that comes from the Father. But He is no less than God. Whatever the Father has, He gave to His Son, except His Fatherhood, which cannot be given, for that is what distinguishes Him from His Son as the source of life, love and truth.

The ultimate proof that He is truly what He professed to be is that the Father “will show him even greater things than these, works that will astonish you!” What would astonish us if not His passion, death and resurrection? When the great work, the recreation came about on Easter Sunday, the whole of creation was renewed by Him. Once again, we find hope in the midst of suffering, life in death, love in hatred. Indeed, the ultimate proof that Jesus is truly the Son of God is His Father’s vindication of His works and words by raising Him from the dead after a most scandalous and humiliating crucifixion on the cross.

Consequently, we are challenged today to seek life in Christ, or someone, or somewhere else. The choice will decide our eternal happiness. As the Lord said, “Whoever refuses honour to the Son refuses honour to the Father who sent him.” To choose Jesus means to believe in His words and do good. The Lord warns us, “Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice: those who did good will rise again to life; and those who did evil, to condemnation.” However, the Lord assured us, “whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgement he has passed from death to life.” When we also act in union with Jesus in mind, heart and will, we too like Jesus will also be in union with God. We will no longer be judged because God sees the face of His Son in us. Those of us who have lived a good and honest life need not fear judgment or condemnation. (1 Jn 4:17f) With Jesus, we already have a foretaste of the eternal life to come.