Wednesday of the
Fourth Week of Easter
(Acts 12:24-13:5a; John
12:44-50)
Pope Francis once told
a group of priests that they should never send anyone away from
Confession. He said that even if one’s
situation prohibited the priest from giving absolution, he could at least bless
the person. The pope also said that priests
should such a person back, again and again, for additional blessings. He is only reflecting what Jesus says in
today’s gospel and at other points in John.
According to the
fourth gospel, Jesus has not come to condemn the world but to save it. He sees the world is engulfed in deceit and
treachery. People, he finds, often care
little, if at all, about one another. He
says that they live in darkness. But he
has brought light to this darkness with his love and truth. These virtues will save the world from
folly. Propelled by the grace of his
death and resurrection, their practitioners will have eternal life.
Many of us too often see
the world in black and white. That is,
we want a strict determination between good and bad. We are unable to work with people so that
their charcoal-hued lives might brighten through exposure to Jesus. This
negative posture will likely drift us in the direction of evil. We too should open ourselves to salvation by
heeding Jesus’ teaching today.
