Friday of the
Fifth Week in Lent
(Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)
A television drama many years ago featured two angels – a
good one and a bad one. In the drama
they were known as Mr. White and Mr. Black.
The people of the place where the two angels came could not distinguish
who was the good angel. So they
concocted a test to tell which of the angels was the good one by having them
sit down and stare at each other. The angel
who first turned away his face would be considered the inferior, and thus bad,
angel. The staring match went on for
hours with neither angels flinching.
Then a small child slipped away from her mother and was going to enter
into the electric gaze of the two angels.
Mr. Black suddenly got up to save the child from destruction. Mr. White was declared to be the good angel
until someone objected. “Wasn’t really
Mr. Black the good angel,” the person reasoned, “for saving the child from electrocution?” Of course, he was, and Mr. Black became the
hero whom the people followed.
In today’s gospel Jesus similarly asks to be judged not by
the people’s prejudices but by his works.
Has he not healed the sick and judged justly? Isn’t he worthy of being called “the Son of
God”? Of course, he is.
And so are we worthy when we regularly assist the needy
and help the poor. We cannot consider ourselves
sons or daughters as Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. We are born into a sinful condition and
sometimes falter in our good efforts.
Nevertheless, through the sacraments especially of Baptism, Eucharist,
and Penance we are only made like Jesus.
