Love has entered and changed everything

-
Today's Gospel (Jn 11:45-56)  recounts the story of the Sanhedrin's bewilderment at Jesus' runaway success with the people. They are believing in Him, and the religious establishment fears they will lose their nation's autonomy with Herod as governor under the Romans:

“What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.”

My worldly mind thought, what if everyone had believed, would it not have been different, better?

The Gospel story continues with High Priest Caiphas' response to the worried leaders:

“'You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.' He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him.”

Caiphas prophesied by the Holy Spirit to ensure God's plan to gather His children together in Christ would proceed unimpeded. Joseph's words to his humbled brothers in Egypt come to mind – to paraphrase: “What you meant for evil, God meant for good.” (Gen 50,20)

The Love of God brought Jesus to the cross. Like Peter, rebuked by Christ for protesting that Jesus should be crucified, we must not fall into the trap of thinking in worldly terms, but in Godly terms, to believe that God's love is at work in the troubles of our times; to believe that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn 1:5)

As we prepare to enter Holy Week, I see that it had to be this way. The “Prince of Life” (Ac 3:15) went willingly, lovingly, to the abject humiliation and disgrace of His passion and death, to bring new life to the world, that all might be gathered into one under His Kingship as Saviour and Lord. There is no greater love than this. (Jn 15:13) This is how Ezekiel's first reading prophecy of Israel's gathering under David as their prince forever is fulfilled (Ez 37:21-28), as is Jeremiah's prophecy in today's responsorial psalm: (Jer 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13)

“He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock. The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.”

My God, Your holy word cuts to the heart of who I am, exposing my limited human thinking to the bright light of Your divine plan for us in Christ. Help me to grow in understanding the workings of Your love throughout history, especially in these troubled times. I surrender my worries for my family, nation and world to Your loving purposes. I lay before Your throne of mercy all those who are opposed to Your Son's Gospel or have turned their back on You in their lives. Help me to believe more and more each day that Your love in Christ has conquered all. In Jesus' name I pray.

Link to today's readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040922.cfm




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirit sets us free

-
Today's readings present a freedom that only God can give. This freedom does not make sense to the carnal mind that outwardly defines us by worldly accomplishments, possessions and prestige. The freedom of God's Spirit, poured into our hearts (Rom 5:5), defines us from within. The Gospel reading ( Jn 3:7b-15 ) presents Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a member of the ruling Sanhedrin, a Pharisee and secret believer in Jesus. Jesus tells him, “You must be born from above.” The Lord continues: “ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Jesus, the Son of Man, must be “lifted up”, “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert... so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” The Holy Spirit, like the wind, blows where it wills – the Holy Spirit is free! The first reading ( Acts 4:32-37 ) tells us somethi...
Read more

Tuesday, Octave of Easter: I have seen the Lord!

-
 For eight days the Church celebrates the Octave of Easter. This makes the Easter solemnity (the most important of feasts of the Church year are solemnities) an eight day celebration, from Sunday to Sunday. Today's Gospel tells the story of Mary Magdalen's encounter with the Risen Jesus. She runs to Him and hugs Him. This is not just a spiritual experience; He is truly risen in His glorified body. Mary has been looking for Jesus in a tomb, among the dead. But Jesus is risen and among the living. This is the Easter Jesus we believe in. He is risen in the flesh and among us in the power of His Spirit. There is a longstanding tradition that Mary Magdalen, her sister Martha and brother were expelled from Palestine after Jesus' resurrection, set adrift in a boat on the open seas, landing in France. There, they witnessed to the Risen Jesus, establishing communities of believers in various parts of the country.* Nothing can stop the power of the Risen Christ when we have yielde...
Read more

But the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. (Is 53:6)

-
 Today's Good Friday readings begin with Isaiah's fourth suffering servant song. It is a powerful prophetic testimony to the sufferings that will be endured by Jesus, Who takes upon Himself our sins to make us righteous before the Father. The word tells us, “ He was spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. ...through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.  Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divid...
Read more