Homily – March 18, 2010 – Fourth Week of Lent - Thursday

+ It is kind of difficult to win an argument when your opponent uses information about you and your own arguments against you: in other words when he "throws up before you" your own reasoning. The Jewish people were always claiming to be children of Abraham and of Moses – faithful, law-abiding chosen possessions of God. But, so many times they seem to have forgotten the full implications involved in being such valued and gifted people: they lived as disobedient, often-times willful, stubborn children.

And so, Jesus says that the testimony of his works is his works themselves. No one could do what he is doing unless they were from God; and the very reality of God himself shines through the works for all to see. And if this were not enough, then relying on the testimony and insight of Moses ought to be have been enough to convince the inquisitors of his divine origins, for Moses actually hoped in Jesus who he knew would come one day in the distant future to finally – once and for all times – liberate God's children from all that enslaves them. If the Jewish people were true children of Moses then they would embrace all the implications of such belief.

We have it so much better than the people of God before the arrival of Jesus, or even those who lived at the time of Jesus: for this is still very much the "time of Jesus." Jesus is still very much alive, very much here, very much active in his works of drawing us out of ourselves and into a posture of repentance and belief in him and in his Father. Standing on the testimony of Moses – we can hope and believe in Jesus, confirmed by the action of his Spirit within us who convinces us beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus is Lord, and that Life is now transformed because of his amazing death and resurrection – and our lives can be radically different today and forever.

On this day of Lent let us ponder the meaning of the words: God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.