Friday, March 26, 2010

Homily – March 26, 2010 – Fifth Week of Lent - Friday

+ Our first reading today from the Prophet Jeremiah anticipates the feelings that Jesus will experience during his last week on earth: he will hear the whisperings of many: "Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!" "All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail and take our vengeance on him." But for Jeremiah as well as for Jesus: the reading goes on: the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. Sing praise to the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!

Yes, in their distress, both Jeremiah and Jesus called upon the name of the Lord and he heard their voice!

In the gospel passage the Jews put into practice the above mentioned prophecy: they pick up rocks to stone Jesus because they perceived him as a blasphemer – a man making himself God. Jesus calls upon the witness of his works and tries to explain to them again that his works were given him by his Father (their God) in heaven – and that he was Son of God. He and the Father are one and he did nothing of his own accord. They did not believe him and they tried again to arrest him but he escaped from their power – for the time being.

When we feel plotted against and even put down for doing good works out of love for God – know that we are in good company. And just as God vindicated Jesus, he will also vindicate us – so long as we keep trying the best we can to love God first, and to love others as we love ourselves.

On this last Friday of Lent, let us commit ourselves to the task of staying by Jesus as he undergoes the betrayals and the plotting of his own people – and realize that some of the offenses against him truly belong to us – though we are distant from the event in years – since it is a spiritual event, we still can be present to it. But let us rely on his never failing love for us, mercy and forgiveness that he will make available by dying on the cross on that Friday afternoon in April (which we will recall next Friday and call it Good) – and let us be truly grateful!

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.

No comments:

Happy New Year 202

  A Happy New Year to you all! I hope and pray I am able to keep this blog up to date now that we are entering into the New Year! I would li...