Thursday, March 26, 2026

 

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

Today’s gospel is difficult to understand.  It may be profitably seen as a trial with Jesus in the witness stand.  He has been accused of diabolical possession because he claims to have seen Abraham, the patriarch.  When Jesus suggests that he is divine with his testimony, “’I AM,’” the Jews find him guilty of blasphemy and try to execute him. 

At the trial Jesus gives as evidence the testament of Abraham.  The first reading provides background information on the patriarch.  Abraham’s faith in God gained him the honor of becoming the father of many nations.  His numerous descendants will possess the land of Canaan. 

Just as the first readers of John’s Gospel, we see God’s promise to Abraham fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  As his legacy grew immensely with non-Jews accepting Jesus, it continues to expand today.  Throughout the Global South and especially in Africa, the number of Christians is increasing.  The promise of “the whole land of Canaan” becoming the possession of his descendants is fulfilled as well.  We are not talking about real estate here but of the same “land” destined to the meek in the Beatitudes. Let us hope and work to be counted among its recipients.

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

 Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

 (Isaiah 7:10-14.8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38)

 One scene will always stand out in the film classic, “Boys’ Town.”  A young boy enters the office of Boys Town founder, Fr. Flanagan, with an even younger child on his back.  With the priest’s face looking astonished, the boy tries to put him at ease.  “He’s not heavy, Father;” he says, “he’s my brother.” The wonder of today’s feast can be described with these words.

 The Annunciation commemorates more than the angel’s announcement of Mary’s divine motherhood.  More importantly, it celebrates God’s taking on human flesh.  It might be said that on this feast the Church praises God for becoming a brother.  God does so not that He might understand better the human experience.  After all, God knows all.  Nor is God looking for human praise.  He has no need for that. Rather, God becomes human so that humans might know how much He loves them.  Like the child being carried by his older brother, humans now have experienced directly God’s infinite care.

 God’s becoming human links us more closely to one another as well.  He is not just a common bond but also a constant reminder that we have to care for one another.  Remembering Christ’s promise of blessing to those who care for the needy, we should say with Mary, “May it be done to me according to your word.’”

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

 Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30)

The Pharisees in today’s gospel ask Jesus, “’Who are you?’”  Christian faith rests upon this question.  If Jesus is only the son of Joseph and Mary, a powerful preacher and healer, and the organizer of a small community of disciples, then there is scant reason to conform our lives to his. He would be like many other celebrated humans of history.  Conversely, if Jesus really is what he hints at being in this passage --the great “I AM” of biblical tradition, the Lord of heaven and earth -- then we would be foolish not to give him full allegiance.

The two principal readings indicate why we should adhere to Jesus.  In the first, the Israelites are roaming in the desert.  They should remind us of many people today in search of health and happiness.  As the Israelites find their salvation in looking at the saraph serpent mounted on a pole, we find peace in this reckless world around us by praying to Christ on the cross.  More importantly, in the gospel Jesus says that he is going where the Pharisees cannot come.  He is referring to his home with the Father.  Later in the gospel (John 14:2), he tells his disciples that he will prepare a place for them there.  The Father’s home is beatitude, eternal happiness and our destiny.

Within the next two weeks we will be celebrating Jesus’ death on the cross and Resurrection from the dead.  Like the well-worn paths of Christian holy places, these liturgies will mark us as Jesus’ faithful followers.  They will shuttle us closer to our eternal home.

Monday, March 23, 2026

 

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62; John 8:12-20)

The woman whom Jesus confronts Jesus in today’s Gospel has committed a grave sin. Although adultery is not the worst of sins, its effects can be disastrous. It can destroy marriages and will undermine the upbringing of children. Furthermore, it leads other couples to suspicion and distrust. But this woman is not the only sinner in the Temple area this day. Jesus' challenge to the Pharisees reveals that they too have sinned.

Jesus offers the woman an opportunity to repent. As he will say in the next chapter of the Gospel according to John, he came not to "judge" (that is, to condemn), but to save. The woman, once forgiven by Jesus, has an open future. Jesus encourages her to follow the path of holiness.

C.S. Lewis is cited as having said that violating chastity is not a worse sin than pride.  Although they may have greater social repercussions, sins against chastity normally do not bring sinners to think of themselves as greater than God.  In sins of pride, on the other hand, perpetrators often see themselves as having greater authority than God. Although they would be loathed to admit it, the Pharisees of the gospel come close to making that claim.  They would have the woman stoned so that their supposed enemy, Jesus, might lose prominence among the people.  Temptations to both these kinds of sins are prominent in the world today.  As Jesus prompts the woman and the Pharisees, we also want to avoid both kinds of sin.

Sunday, March 22, 2026

 

Fifth Sunday of Lent
(Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45)

The Gospel according to Saint John is a literary masterpiece. It tells a compelling story, but even more importantly, it reveals the meaning of the Gospel through literary devices. Before speaking about one of these devices in the Gospel, it may help to give an example.

Everyone knows the story of Pinocchio. He is the puppet whose nose grows longer every time he tells a lie. The growing nose functions in the story as a symbol, a type of literary device. In this case, the symbol shows how lying deforms a person’s character.

The evangelist John says that Jesus performed many “signs” during his ministry. For him, the miracles of Jesus are signs, but not exactly in the same sense as in the other Gospels. For Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus’ healings are mighty deeds that show he comes from God. John has a deeper understanding of signs. For him, signs are symbols that reveal not only that Jesus comes from God, but also different aspects of who he is.

At the beginning of his Gospel, John writes about the “Word” who “was with God” and who “was God.” The signs help reveal who this Word is.  John recounts seven signs, although at the end of his Gospel he says that Jesus performed many others. The first sign is when Jesus turns the six jars of water into excellent wine at the wedding feast of Cana. In this sign, Jesus is revealed as the one who replaces the rituals of the Old Testament with the new worship that comes through him.

Today’s Gospel recounts the final sign before Jesus’ death: the raising of Lazarus. In this sign, Jesus is revealed as the living Son of God who has power over death.  In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul calls death “the last enemy” of Christ. By this he means that death is not only the final enemy but also the greatest one. Death separates us from our loved ones. It makes us feel the weight and shame of our sins. It represents the unknown, where we might be lost forever. Finally, as the end of earthly existence, death seems to deny our value. Few people want their lives to be short; most of us want to live as long as possible.

To avoid death, some people try to live very healthy lives. They follow low-fat diets and exercise every day. Others, less realistically, believe they can defeat death through technology. Some even plan to have their bodies frozen when death approaches, hoping to be revived someday when a cure for their illness is discovered. The story of Lazarus in today’s Gospel points us to another remedy for death. It is less complicated than diets and exercise, and infinitely more reliable than technology.

Jesus, the Son of God who has power over death, is a friend of Lazarus. When he receives the news that Lazarus is gravely ill, he eventually comes and calls him out of the tomb. We too want to be friends with Jesus so that he will come and raise us when we die.  How do we do this?  First, by professing our faith in Jesus, just as Martha does in the Gospel. Jesus tells her:  “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though he die, will live; and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

It is also necessary that, moved by the Spirit we receive in Baptism, we practice works of charity. The Gospel of Matthew quotes Jesus saying that those who feed the hungry and visit the sick will be rewarded with the Kingdom of his Father.

Father Cecil was a kind and wise Benedictine monk. When he was around seventy years old, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Knowing that death was near, someone asked him if he was afraid. “No,” the priest replied. “I have advised many people that God is there waiting to receive them. How could I fear my own death?” Like Father Cecil, when our time comes, may we trust in Jesus and die in peace.