Friday of the
Fourth Week of Lent
(Wisdom 2:1a.12-22; John 7:1-2.10.25-30)
Even today a few Catholic churches cover statues and
images during Lent. The
practice is connected with today’s gospel which used to be read on the Sunday before
Palm Sunday. Because the passage says
that the Jerusalemites could not arrest Jesus, it is assumed that he is nowhere
to be seen. Thus, he and the saints who
reflect his glory are covered as to be likewise not seen.
The gospel passage perhaps more importantly relates the ignorance
of the people of whom Jesus is. They see
him as a false prophet, one who claims to speak on God’s behalf but does
not. He is, of course, a true prophet
and more – God’s own Son. At the
crucifixion in Luke’s gospel Jesus pleads to his Father on behalf of his
executioners. He begs that they be
forgiven since they do not know what they are doing. The Gospel of John conveys the same
realization here albeit without the prayer for forgiveness.
However much the people’s ignorance of Jesus is in the
gospel, we should not be found guilty of the same fault. Excellent understandings like Pope Benedict’s
three-volume study Jesus of Nazareth
are available. The more we know of him,
the closer we will want to follow him.
And the more we do that, the happier will be our reception into eternal
life.
