The Catholic Calendar for Friday, March 11, 2005
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 7:1-2,25-30

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"You know me and where I am from. . ."

At the time the Lord was preaching, the people knew Him and where He was from. They were expecting a Messiah who appeared mysteriously, as if from heaven. They were not expecting a Galilean. But they missed an essential point. They knew Jesus in His public ministry, but they didn't know the One who sent Jesus, the One who was behind all that was meaningful in life and in Christ's ministry. They didn't see the Messiah because they knew him.

Fast-forwarding to our era, many people are doubly blind. Not only do they no longer see and know Christ, they know nothing of the God who sent Christ to us. They know nothing of love and of compassion and of mercy.

Why should this be in a world with so many Christians? Shouldn't those of us who believe in Jesus be His presence for those around us? Shouldn't Jesus still be seen in the streets?

The sad truth is that even many Christians do not see Jesus today. They see the picture they have made of Him. They see the image they like of Him, the Jesus who does not intrude upon us, the Jesus who we can worship in our spare time, the Jesus who supports "every lifestyle" and every whim people can dream up. This is not Jesus. And those of us who truly believe in Him need to make Him manifest in all of His mercy and compassion; neither tolerating sin nor harming the sinner. This is the Jesus we must bring to people--the real Messiah, the voice of God.

The only way to do this is to allow ourselves to hear Him speak once again in the fullness of what He has to say. Allow Jesus to challenge you today; take heart and really listen to what Jesus has to say and then, as hard as it may be, act upon it. Only in this way will we see and know Jesus and the One who sent Him.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:52 AM