April 4, 2025
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 248
Reading 1
The wicked said among themselves,
thinking not aright:
"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him."
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls' reward.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm
34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23
R. (19a) The Lord is close to the
brokenhearted.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
Verse Before the Gospel
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel
Jesus moved about within Galilee;
he did not wish to travel in Judea,
because the Jews were trying to kill him.
But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.
But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
"Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
"You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."
So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,
because his hour had not yet come.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040425.cfm
Commentary on Wisdom
2:1,12-22
Today’s reading comes from early on in the Book of Wisdom,
in a passage describing life as seen by the godless (the “ungodly”, see chap
1). We often feel that if we are good and virtuous and, even more, because we
are good and virtuous, people should be inspired to follow and imitate our good
example. However, experience tells us that many times exactly the opposite
happens, and people feel somehow threatened by or resentful of our good
behavior.
The description of the animosity directed against those who
live good and virtuous lives is well put in today’s reading, and it applies so
perfectly to how Jesus was treated—so much so that some people see in this
passage a prophecy about Jesus. However, it also applies to hundreds of others
down the ages whose goodness has been resented, whose behaviour is seen as a
condemnation and a threat to those with different values. Such individuals, as
a result, have been persecuted and even killed.
In the passage, the “ungodly”, who are speaking about a
prophet (called “the righteous man”) say:
Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient
to us and opposes our actions.
It is because the prophet’s words are felt to be true that
they create feelings of guilt in those against whom they are directed.
Again, the “ungodly” say:
He [the righteous man] reproaches us for
sins against the law and accuses us of sins against our training.
The reproach is not denied, but it is strongly resented:
He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
the very sight of him is a burden to us…
Of course, “the righteous man” is the very person whom
Scripture says should be respected and protected. And that claim is not denied
by the “ungodly”, but such a one is seen as an obstruction to how they live.
And then there follows a good description of the “righteous
man”:
…his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his
ways are strange.
How true of Jesus and of many of his most faithful
followers!
Subsequently comes the justification for violent action to
remove the source of criticism. If the prophet is really a spokesperson for
God, then surely God will protect him against any violent attack.
Let us test him with insult and torture,
so that we may find out how reasonable he is
and make trial of his forbearance.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be protected.
It is exactly what happened to Jesus at the hands of his
opponents as his enemies mocked him during his trial:
Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to
strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him and beat him. (Mark
14:65)
And again, on the cross:
In the same way the chief priests also, along with the
scribes and elders, were mocking him…He trusts in God; let God deliver him now,
if he wants to… (Matt 27:41-44)
This has happened to many down through the centuries and it
will happen in our times as well—and for exactly the same reasons. We call such
dedicated followers martyrs, from the Greek word for ‘witness’.
They give striking witness to the values of the Kingdom.
Those who carry out these actions can convince themselves
that what they are doing is right:
Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their
wickedness blinded them, and they did not know the secret purposes of God…
Their aim is to obliterate the source of their discomfort,
but the result is often the very opposite. It is a very dangerous thing to
create martyrs. We remember the early Christian saying from the writings of
Tertullian:
The blood of martyrs is the seed of faith.
Jesus himself has told us not to be surprised that we too
will be misunderstood and treated as he was. The following of Christ involves
what is called a ‘counter-witness’ to the prevailing values in our societies.
Such a counter-witness will often be deeply resented, attacked, rubbished and
ridiculed, and it may invite even violence and death.
Of course, we also have to be very careful that our witness
is based on truth, integrity and love; we have to be careful to avoid any taint
of Pharisaism or superior elitism, which we can fall into so easily. It is God
we are proclaiming, not ourselves.
As we approach Holy Week, we need to reflect on these things
and see how they fit into our lives. Whose side am I on? If I had been on
Calvary, with whom would I have been standing? In issues of truth and justice
in my own society, where am I seen?
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Commentary on John
7:1-2,10,25-30
In today’s Gospel we move to the 7th chapter of John,
skipping chapter 6 on the Bread of Life, which will be read at another time in
the liturgical cycle. We are told that Jesus was confining his activities to
Galilee. He did not want to go to Judea and the vicinity of Jerusalem because
there were people there who wanted to kill him. Jesus does not expose himself
unnecessarily to danger. He knows that a time is coming when the final conflict
will be inevitable, but that time is not yet.
It is the time of the Feast of Tabernacles and (though not
contained in today’s reading) his family are urging him to go up to Jerusalem
for the feast and show himself to the world. He tells them the time is not ripe
for him to do this, but later on, after his family have left for the city, he
goes privately and unbeknown to others. However, in Jerusalem, Jesus goes to
the Temple area and begins to teach openly, to the amazement of his listeners:
How does this man have such learning, when he has never
been taught? (John 5:15)
A marvelous example of Johannine irony—the Word does not
need to study the Word!
Jesus is a source of some confusion in the minds of many
people. On the one hand, the people are aware that Jesus has become a target of
their religious leaders, and yet he goes about openly and speaking freely and
without fear.
Jesus would not be Jesus if he were to keep his message to
himself. The Word of God cannot remain silent. On the other hand, the people
are also confused about the identity of Jesus. Is he allowed to speak freely
because the leaders now believe he really is the Messiah-Christ? But everyone
knows where Jesus comes from (Nazareth in Galilee). How, then, can he be the
Messiah?
Jesus then tells them:
You know me, and you know where I am from.
That is only partially true; rather, they think they
know.
I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is
true…I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.
And, if they do not know the Father, how can they know the
Son? And vice versa.
This only angers his listeners who know what he is implying,
but they cannot arrest him there and then because “his hour had not yet come.”
The time of his arrest will only be in accordance with God’s plan.
Do we really know who Jesus is? There are many conflicting
opinions out there. We can only know the real Jesus by reading the Scriptures
under wise and perceptive guides who can help us penetrate the deeper meaning
beneath the literal text. We can also learn a lot by prayer and contemplation.
Lent is an excellent time for us to do both and, better still, to begin making
it a practice that goes far beyond Lent.
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Friday,
April 4, 2025
Season of Lent
Opening Prayer
Our God and Father,
we claim to be your
sons and daughters, who know that you love us, and that you call us to live the
life of Jesus, your Son. Give us the courage to live this life consistently
not to show off,
not to reprove others, but simply because we know that you are our Father and
we your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Gospel Reading - John 7: 1-2, 10, 25-30
After this Jesus travelled round
Galilee; he could not travel round Judaea, because the Jews were seeking to kill
him. As the Jewish feast of Shelters drew near, his brothers had left for the
festival, he went up as well, not publicly but secretly.
Meanwhile some of the
people of Jerusalem were saying, 'Isn't this the man they want to kill? And
here he is, speaking openly, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be
true the authorities have recognized that he is the Christ? Yet we all know
where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he
comes from.' Then, as Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he cried out: You know
me and you know where I came from. Yet I have not come of my own accord: but he
who sent me is true; You do not know him, but I know him because I have my
being from him and it was he who sent me.
They wanted to arrest him then, but because his hour had
not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
Reflection
Throughout the chapters from 1 to 12 of the Gospel of
John, one discovers the progressive revelation which Jesus makes of himself to
the disciples and to the people. At the same time and in the same proportion,
the closing up and the opposition of the authority against Jesus increases, up
to the point of deciding to condemn him to death (Jn 11: 45-54). Chapter 7, on
which we are meditating in today’s Gospel, is a type of evaluation in the
middle of the journey. It helps to foresee what will be the implication at the
end.
•
John 7: 1-2, 10: Jesus decides to go to the feast of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem. The
geography of the life of Jesus in the Gospel of John is different from the
geography in the other three Gospels. It is more complete. According to the
other Gospels, Jesus went only once to Jerusalem, the time when he was taken
and condemned to death. According to the Gospel of John he went there at least
two or three times to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. This is why we
know that the public life of Jesus lasted approximately three years. Today’s
Gospel informs us that Jesus directed himself more than once to Jerusalem, but
not publicly; hidden because in Judah the Jews
wanted to kill him.
•
In this chapter 7 as well as in the other
chapters, John speaks about the “Jews” and
of “you Jews,” as if he and Jesus
were not Jews. This way of speaking shows the situation of a tragic breaking
which took place at the end of the first century between the Jews (Synagogue)
and the Christians (Ecclesia).
Throughout the centuries, this way of speaking in the Gospel of John
contributes to make anti-Semitism grow. Today, it is very important to keep
away from this type of polemics so as not to foster anti-Semitism. We can never
forget that Jesus is a Jew. He was born a Jew, lives as a Jew and dies as a
Jew. He received all his formation from the Jewish religion and culture.
•
John 7: 25-27: Doubts of the people of Jerusalem regarding Jesus. Jesus is in
Jerusalem and he speaks publicly to those who want to listen to him. People
remain confused. They know that the authorities want to kill Jesus and he does
not hide from them. Would it be that the authorities have come to believe in
him and recognize that he is the Messiah? But how could Jesus be the Messiah?
Everybody knows that he comes from Nazareth, but nobody knows the origin of the
Messiah, from where he comes.
•
John 7, 28-29: Clarification on the part of Jesus. Jesus speaks about his origin. “You know me and you know where I come
from.” But what people do not know is the vocation and the mission which
Jesus received from God. He did not come on his own accord, but like any
prophet he has come to obey a vocation, which is the secret of his life.” “Yet,
I have not come of my own accord but he who sent me is true, and you do not
know him. But I know him, because I have my being from him and it was he who
sent me.”
•
John 7: 30: His hour had not yet come. They
wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, “because his hour had not yet come.” In John’s Gospel the one who
determines the hour and the events which will take place are not those who have
the power, but it is Jesus. He is the one who determines the hour (cf. Jn 2: 4;
4: 23; 8: 20; 12: 23, 27; 13: 1; 17: 1). Even up to the time when he was nailed
to the Cross, it is Jesus who determines the hour of his death (Jn 19: 29-30).
Personal Questions
•
How do I live my relationship with the Jews?
Have I discovered sometimes some anti-Semitism in me? Have I succeeded in
eliminating it?
•
Like in the time of Jesus, today also, there are
many new ideas and opinions on things which refer to faith. What do I do? Am I
attached firmly to the old ideas and close myself up in them, or do I try to
understand the why, the reason for the novelty?
Concluding Prayer
Yahweh ransoms the lives of those who serve him, and there
will be no penalty for those who take refuge in him. (Ps 34,24)
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