03-25-2012, 07:27 AM
OUR SINCERITY IN WANTING TO KNOW JESUS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: JER 11:18-20; PS 7:2-3, 9BC – 10, 11-12; JN 7:40-52
We are coming nearer to Holy Week, when Jesus will reveal Himself as Lord in His passion, death and resurrection. Tomorrow we will begin the fifth Sunday of Lent, when statues and images are veiled. Already, at the beginning of the week, we have been asked to contemplate on the person of Jesus. It is critical that we answer the question regarding the identity and person of Jesus, particularly so for those catechumens awaiting baptism, as our understanding of Jesus’ identity will determine our convictions. Who is Jesus? This was the question Jesus posed to His disciples at Caesarea Philippi. The gospel tells us that the people then could not agree on who He was. Some said, “Surely he must be the prophet”, and some said, “He is the Christ”.
Today, as in the past, the reaction to this question is diverse. Different people have different opinions of Jesus. Why is it that people are not in agreement as to who Jesus is? It could be due to ignorance. Where there is ignorance, there is no sin. But this cannot be said of a culpable ignorance, when we do not bother to verify our beliefs or facts. This was certainly the attitude of the Jews and their leaders. They were not sincere in wanting to establish the identity of Jesus. The people argued, “Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town ofBethlehem?’” Obviously, they did not know their facts. This is also true for many people. They do not check the facts before coming to a conclusion.
But culpable ignorance, although regrettable, is not as sinful as pride and prejudice! In the case of the religious leaders, a legalistic understanding of their inherited traditions blinded them. They reasoned, “Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees? This rabble knows nothing of the Law – they are damned.” When we are constrained by our past, we can block out new experiences that the Lord wants to give. Some Catholics, because they have been praying in the traditional way, cannot accept the gift of tongues or some of the charismatic way of worship. Hence, we must ask whether we are too entrenched in our experiences and traditions to allow ourselves to encounter God in new and creative ways.
In contrast, and ironically too, the Temple guards who were under instructions to arrest Jesus, heard Him and believed without even the need for miracles. They went back to the chief priests and Pharisees without arresting Jesus. In reply to their annoyance, they said, “‘there has never been anybody who has spoken like him.” The Pharisees answered “So you have been led astray as well?” As for Nicodemus, he tried timidly to defend Jesus, cautioning, “‘but surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgment 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.’”
We too are challenged to stand up for Jesus. Will we have the courage to testify for Jesus like the Temple guards and Jeremiah, or will we be like the people who were indifferent, or like Nicodemus who was fearful and timid? The answer depends on how sincere we want to know Jesus, whether we are deepening our study and contemplation of Him.
Today, we have Jeremiah who remained faithful to the mission that the Lord had given to him because he trusted in the Lord. This was even when he was deceived, like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughterhouse. “The Lord revealed it to me: I was warned. 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.”
Jesus, too, knew their scheming, yet He allowed Himself to be crucified because He trusted in God’s vindication, like Jeremiah. Yes, as Jeremiah says, “But you, 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.” Indeed, whether we stand up for Jesus or not is dependent on our personal conviction of who Jesus is. Like the psalmist, let us place our trust in the Lord. Let us surrender ourselves into His hands.
SCRIPTURE READINGS: JER 11:18-20; PS 7:2-3, 9BC – 10, 11-12; JN 7:40-52
We are coming nearer to Holy Week, when Jesus will reveal Himself as Lord in His passion, death and resurrection. Tomorrow we will begin the fifth Sunday of Lent, when statues and images are veiled. Already, at the beginning of the week, we have been asked to contemplate on the person of Jesus. It is critical that we answer the question regarding the identity and person of Jesus, particularly so for those catechumens awaiting baptism, as our understanding of Jesus’ identity will determine our convictions. Who is Jesus? This was the question Jesus posed to His disciples at Caesarea Philippi. The gospel tells us that the people then could not agree on who He was. Some said, “Surely he must be the prophet”, and some said, “He is the Christ”.
Today, as in the past, the reaction to this question is diverse. Different people have different opinions of Jesus. Why is it that people are not in agreement as to who Jesus is? It could be due to ignorance. Where there is ignorance, there is no sin. But this cannot be said of a culpable ignorance, when we do not bother to verify our beliefs or facts. This was certainly the attitude of the Jews and their leaders. They were not sincere in wanting to establish the identity of Jesus. The people argued, “Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town ofBethlehem?’” Obviously, they did not know their facts. This is also true for many people. They do not check the facts before coming to a conclusion.
But culpable ignorance, although regrettable, is not as sinful as pride and prejudice! In the case of the religious leaders, a legalistic understanding of their inherited traditions blinded them. They reasoned, “Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees? This rabble knows nothing of the Law – they are damned.” When we are constrained by our past, we can block out new experiences that the Lord wants to give. Some Catholics, because they have been praying in the traditional way, cannot accept the gift of tongues or some of the charismatic way of worship. Hence, we must ask whether we are too entrenched in our experiences and traditions to allow ourselves to encounter God in new and creative ways.
In contrast, and ironically too, the Temple guards who were under instructions to arrest Jesus, heard Him and believed without even the need for miracles. They went back to the chief priests and Pharisees without arresting Jesus. In reply to their annoyance, they said, “‘there has never been anybody who has spoken like him.” The Pharisees answered “So you have been led astray as well?” As for Nicodemus, he tried timidly to defend Jesus, cautioning, “‘but surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgment 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.’”
We too are challenged to stand up for Jesus. Will we have the courage to testify for Jesus like the Temple guards and Jeremiah, or will we be like the people who were indifferent, or like Nicodemus who was fearful and timid? The answer depends on how sincere we want to know Jesus, whether we are deepening our study and contemplation of Him.
Today, we have Jeremiah who remained faithful to the mission that the Lord had given to him because he trusted in the Lord. This was even when he was deceived, like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughterhouse. “The Lord revealed it to me: I was warned. 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.”
Jesus, too, knew their scheming, yet He allowed Himself to be crucified because He trusted in God’s vindication, like Jeremiah. Yes, as Jeremiah says, “But you, 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.” Indeed, whether we stand up for Jesus or not is dependent on our personal conviction of who Jesus is. Like the psalmist, let us place our trust in the Lord. Let us surrender ourselves into His hands.