FRIDAY MARCH 15, 2024
FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT B
Wisdom 2:1,12-22
John 7:1-2, 10.25-30
LIVING IN FAITH NOT PREJUDICED TO FALSEHOOD
Familiarity with Jesus and his background as a carpenters son and one who had been with them blinded the Jews from acknowledging the supernatural and mystical powers of Jesus and his messianic role in the world.
John’s gospel in today’s reading reminds us on the attitude of the Jews towards Jesus. That the Jews were blinded from recognizing the messianic nature and role of Christ. And so they refused to accept Jesus as the messiah. Instead they sought for his life because for them, he is a blasphemer for reasons of making himself God’s equal, and calling God his Father. He also is known to have been born by Mary and Joseph but the messiah, when he comes, no one will be able to know where he is from.
So Jesus’ claim of being the messiah, and the additional claims that he knows God and has come from God and he is the Son of man made the Jews to seek his death. Because for them he is blaspheming. For the Jews, the final revelation is given in Moses and the Prophets. And the messiah will be coming unexpectedly in the spirit of Elijah.
So Jesus’ familiarity with the people or the Jews rather was a stumbling block for their faith. By this, they could not accept him as their messiah because his advent into the world is not shrouded in mystery enough. His simplicity and natural way of living became for the people a great disservice to their faith. Their expectations were high and lofty. Their thinking very abstract and way off.
So for Jesus they visited him with cruelty for assuming the position of God or Saviour of the world. They first reading states how they dealt with him yet innocent though.
We may be in the same situation today, thinking of very high and lofty thoughts about our faith, refusing to accept the basic doctrines as explained by the church. We are often blinded by the facts of our thinking and idea in our mind of who God is and what we expect fron God.
Sometimes we become so engrossed in our thinking that that we are prejudiced, and refuse to accept the teachings of the church.
We even reject the Christ as our Lord and Saviour in some circumstances and show tendencies of seeking miracles and signs that may impress on our faith. These attitudes come as a result of our lofty ideas and false expectations of who Jesus is.
Let us have a rethink and renewed zeal for God and for his ideals by accepting, following and walking along the path of truth, following the teachings of the church and relying heavily on the churches doctrines.
Father in heaven, grant us strong faith in our Saviour Jesus Christ. May we never doubt his presence, his works and his graces in our lives. Help us to desire, hear, follow and abide in the teachings of the Church at all times and believe strongly in each and every doctrine, with great interest to follow and walk with Jesus through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
