The Catholic Calendar for Friday, March 26, 2004
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Wisdom 2:1,12-22
Psalm 34:17-21,23
John 7:1-2,10,25-30

A reflection on today’s Sacred Scripture:

Enduring criticism is often difficult, although often instructive and helpful, if we have the humility to listen, and if it comes from people with good motives. In today’s first reading, we are given an insight into the reasoning of the evil-minded, who cannot endure good people. They find them “obnoxious” and unbearable, like iodine on an infected wound. It’s interesting how evil persons are more judgmental of the good, than the just are toward them. Their reasoning becomes more and more corrupted, accusing the just ones of hypocrisy, as though to say, “No one can be that good.” Evil has that effect--it destroys our ability to objectively evaluate.

In the Gospel, Jesus is criticized in much the same way by those who cannot endure his teaching. His words smart their consciences, and in their rush to reject him, they rashly and illogically apply the accepted criteria for discerning the true messiah. The grounds for their rejection do not bear the scrutiny of solid knowledge of the Scripture, nor of the facts of Jesus’ origins.

Let us ever be on guard against our own wrong motives for judging others and their teaching. Our rejection may be colored by a guilty conscience, pride, or careless research into the facts.

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at twcny dot rr dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:18 AM