Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
(Wisdom 2:1a.12-22; John 7:1-2.10.25-30)
As we approach the culmination of Lent, today’s gospel bids
us to consider the object of our journey. Like the Jews in Jerusalem, we are to
ask ourselves if Jesus is really the one God has sent to bring peace to the
world. Many today consider him only a great
prophet like Gandhi or Martin Luther King.
They may doubt that he is the Savior because war and injustice never
seem to end.
In the gospel the Jews say that they know where Jesus comes
from. Jesus questions this knowledge. He says that they know nothing of his divine
origin. And much less do they, or we for
that matter, know the specific will of God the Father. God is neither ignorant nor indifferent to
evil in the world. He has given us the
Holy Spirit to struggle against it. He
protects us as He protects Jesus in the gospel until the hour comes for his
supreme sacrifice.
That sacrifice has been made to release the Holy Spirit to us
for the struggle. Victory, which is
ultimately assured, may come at a high price for some of us. Nevertheless, we continue our efforts against
evil when and wherever it arises.
