Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta cũng thấy Chúa Giêsu đã phải trải qua những hậu quả, những cuộc xung đột với người Do Thái vì họ đã phản ứng mạnh với lời giáo huấn của Ngài về sự hiệp nhất giữa Ngài với Chúa Cha là Thiên Chúa của họ. Đối với họ đó là lời xúc phạm. Họ đã chứng kiến những việc lành Chúa Giêsu đả làm, nhưng tâm trí của họ đã bị che mờ với sự bướng bỉnh của họ trong sự ích kỷ, tự hào và thiếu hiểu biết và cũng như sự quan hệ của họ với Thiên Chúa.
Jesus in the Gospel account also experienced the consequences of the conflict of the Jews who reacted strongly to Jesus’ claim of his unity with Father God. For them it was blasphemy. They witnessed the good works of Jesus, yet their minds were clouded with their own stubbornness in their understanding and relationship with God.
We are challenged to reflect on our own works of ‘evangelization’. If the people whom we serve and reach out to do not recognize God’s love, it may be an invitation to examine our relationship with God. We have a good example in John the Baptist who led the people to Jesus and they believed. This is a challenge to all of us in ministries.
Let this Lenten season lead us into a more intimate relationship with God so that this may reflect in our relationships with others. “Lord, lead us to You always whether in prayer or work especially works of charity.”
Friday 5th Week of Lent: 2024
“If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” John 10:37–39
These words spoken by Jesus took place during the feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem. Jesus had been preaching clearly about His relationship with the Father in Heaven, and this was causing some to become outraged to the point of them trying to arrest Him right then and there. But He escaped and went back into the wilderness where He had been baptized by John. As Jesus remained there in the desert, many people came to Him to be with Him and to listen to His words. As they listened, they began to believe.
It’s interesting to note the contrast of reactions. In Jerusalem within the Temple area, among large crowds gathered for the feast of Dedication, Jesus was increasingly rejected and persecuted. But when He returned to the desert and people had to come to see Him, they listened and believed. This contrast presents us with one way in which we will more easily grow in our faith and help others grow in their faith. Specifically, we are invited to go into the “desert” to encounter our Lord, away from the busyness of life, and we must also invite others to join us in such a journey.
It’s true that, while in Jerusalem, there were people who happened to stumble upon Jesus as He was teaching and were moved by His word and came to believe. But it’s also clear that, when people had to commit to the effort of seeking Him out in a deserted place, His words were even more transformative.
In our own lives, within the ordinary activities of life, such as regular attendance at Mass, we will be given the opportunity to hear the Gospel and deepen our life of faith. But all of us need to take time to seek Jesus out “in the wilderness,” so to speak, so as to be even more disposed to hear Him and believe. These “desert experiences” come in many forms. Perhaps it’s an experience as simple as going into your room alone to pray and ponder the Word of God. Or perhaps it’s a participation in a Bible study, an online devotional program, or parish catechesis event. Or perhaps it’s the choice to go away for a weekend or longer for a guided retreat where all you do for some time is pray and listen to our Lord.
Throughout history, saint after saint has shown us the value of going off to pray to be with our Lord, in a place where the many other distractions of life and the many voices of the world are silenced, so that God can speak to the heart and so that we can more fully respond.
Reflect, today, upon the invitation Jesus is giving you to go out to meet Him in the wilderness. Where is that place? How can you accomplish this short journey while keeping up with the important duties of life? Do not hesitate to seek out the desert to which our Lord is calling you, so that you will be able to meet Him there, listen to His voice, and respond with complete generosity.
My Lord Jesus, You are calling me to enter deeper into a relationship of love with You, my divine Lord. Give me the grace I need to say “Yes” to You and to enter into the desert of silence and prayer I need so as to hear Your voice. Draw me to You, my Lord, and help me to more fully believe all that You wish to say. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you offer me the gift of divine adoption. I do not deserve this great gift. Your love for me is so great. Help me to correspond to your love and live as your child.
1. Jesus’ Works and Signs: In response to their attempt to kill him, Jesus asks the crowd a legitimate question: “I have shown you many works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?" They answer that his works are not the problem. However, his claim that he is the Son of God and therefore equal to God is a huge problem. For them, this was blasphemy, which, according to the Law of Moses, should be punished by stoning (Leviticus 24:16). Putting Jesus to death is a constant theme in the Gospel of John. Sometimes these attempts follow his works or signs. Jesus cures the paralytic on the Sabbath and we read: “This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Jesus multiplies the loaves, and once again: “After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer walked with him. ... Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him” (John 6:66; 7:1). The chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest Jesus (John 7:32), but no one laid hands upon him (John 7:44).
3. Jesus’s Signs and the Act of Faith: It is important to understand the relation between Jesus’ signs in John’s Gospel and the act of faith. The works that Jesus does manifest that he is mighty in power. First, he has command over physical things: he turns water into wine and multiplies the loaves of bread. Second, he has command over sickness: he cures the official’s son from a distance; he heals the paralytic; he restores sight to a man born blind. Third, he has power over death: he will raise Lazarus from the dead. These are divine actions and signs that point to something. The signs do not of themselves lead to faith. The act of faith is a free act of man. The signs testify to Jesus but are not mathematical demonstrations. Another stepping-stone on the way to faith in Jesus is the testimony of John. John did not perform signs like Jesus. He simply preached a baptism of repentance and prepared the way for the Messiah. John testified that Jesus is the Light, the Lamb, the Bridegroom, filled with the Holy Spirit, and mightier than John himself. Faith in Jesus means assenting to the truth that he is the Son of God, equal to the Father.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are mighty in your works and invite me to believe in you. I believe in you and your words of everlasting life. You are my savior and redeemer, you are my king and my Lord, you are my life and my resurrection.
Living the Word of God: We are called today to renew our faith in Jesus, who continues to work marvels in our lives and in the life of the Church. Signs and testimony point us in the right direction and confirm the stirring in our hearts. This is the action of grace moving us to faith in Christ, to hope in his promise of eternal life, and to love both God and neighbor.
Opening Prayer: Lord, as I begin these moments of prayer, reaffirm in my heart that I belong to you. I am a child of the Almighty!
In Control: Unlike the synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John is highly theological and loaded with symbolism intent on convincing the reader that Jesus is God. In these verses, Jesus was accused of blasphemy because he told the Jews that he and the Father are one. Blasphemy was a sin punishable by death. When they tried to stone him and arrest him, Jesus, full of divine power, simply walked away from the angry mob and back to the river Jordan to continue his work. Jesus was in full control. He knew exactly when and where his ultimate sacrifice would be made, and it was not to be this day. He had more work to do.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are faithful to your promises and merciful when we are unfaithful. In the past, you revealed your fidelity and mercy to Moses and your people. Today, you reveal your faithful and merciful love to me through your Son.
1. The Sanhedrin’s Response to the Raising of Lazarus: The response of the Sanhedrin to the raising of Lazarus by Jesus is not one of faith, but one of condemnation. They recognize that Jesus is performing extraordinary signs. But instead of pondering in prayer what this could mean – that Jesus is the Messiah sent by God – they prefer to remain in their blindness (John 9:39-41) and look at things from a very human point of view. If we do nothing, they argue, “the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” The theme of nationhood and land is a central theme in today’s First Reading as well as yesterday’s First Reading. Yesterday, we read how Abraham was promised both land and nationhood: “I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you ... I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:6,8). This promise to Abraham was then elevated to a covenant: “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7).
3. Jesus as the Fulfillment of God’s Promises: Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises made throughout the Old Testament: he is the New David, the Servant of God, the one sent to the lost tribes of Israel, the one who proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God and establishes it, and the one who establishes the New Covenant. This New Covenant was established on the Cross. In the Gospel of John, the high priest Caiaphas does not realize the depth of his prophetic words. He thinks that by condemning Jesus to death, he will eliminate the problem Jesus is causing among the people and preserve the land promised to Abraham. Caiaphas says: “It is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” John, however, knows that Jesus’ death will gather the dispersed children of God: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). John knows that Jesus’ death is key to the inauguration of the reign of God on earth. Jesus dies for us, removes the ancient curse of death, and bestows life on those who receive him in faith and love.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, it is so mysterious to see how people rejected you, your message of merciful love, and your mighty works. You were the innocent one who went about doing good, healing the sick, casting out demons, and feeding the hungry, and yet you were condemned and crucified by your people. Help me to embrace suffering and persecution for the sake of your name.
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