Friday, April 11, 2025

 

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus cannot cure the sick unless they believe in him.  The gospel of John sees his cures and other marvelous deeds differently.  They are signs to induce belief in him as God’s agent.  In today’s passage from John the Jews reject him despite the many signs he has worked.

As with Jeremiah in the first reading, the Jews have turned their minds and hearts against Jesus.  He would gladly have the Father dwell in them as He does in himself.  But, blinded by evil, they want to kill him.

Jesus will make the same offer to his disciples at the Last Supper and now to us.  If we follow his ways, we will experience the Father’s bliss.  It is the culmination of the spiritual life.  It begins here with the experience of God’s joy, peace, and love.  And it reaches completion beyond death in the glory of the resurrection. 

Friday, March 8, 2022

 

Friday of the Fifth Week in Lent

 (Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)

 Both Jeremiah and Jesus in today’s readings find themselves in litigation.  Jewish authorities want to silence Jeremiah for denouncing idolatry.  Rather than trust in God, they seek favors from idols.  Jeremiah, of course, will have none of their faithlessness. Jesus is being drilled as if he were a defendant facing prosecutors.  The Jews want to prove that he is an imposter claiming to be God.

Jesus deftly cites Scripture to show how he can be considered a son of God.  More than that, he points to the evidence of his powerful works.  They manifest a divine relationship.  He also calls a notable witness.  John the Baptist publicly testified on his behalf.  The Jews are not convinced, yet they cannot arrest Jesus.  His time has still not come. 

We may suffer, like Jeremiah and Jesus, for saying what is true.  Having the right intentions and doing virtuous works does not free us from accusation.  Like Jeremiah and Jesus again, we should make every effort to persevere.  We can turn to God in prayer for the grace to do so.  We might also pray for those who persecute us.  We want them to accept the truth and to live it. 

Friday, March 23, 2018

Friday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)

In a book about God, theologian Karen Armstrong gives the so-called “new atheists” a sympathetic rejection.  Although she thinks they have a point in their critique of fundamentalist interpretations of religion, she finds their own critique of religion simplistic.  Armstrong finds it unfortunate that self-proclaimed atheists Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris have not dialogued with religious thinkers whose ideas are more mature and deeper than those of the fundamentalists.  It may be said that Armstrong finds the new atheists hard of heart for their unwillingness to carry out a true search for truth.  In the readings today Jeremiah and Jesus likewise lament the hardness of their adversaries’ positions.  

Jeremiah has preached religious and moral reform to the Kingdom of Judah.  The people, he would say, have to stop thinking that foreign alliances will save them from the threat of Babylon and to rely on God.  Jesus asks the people of Jerusalem, the heirs of those to whom Jeremiah preached, to recognize him as God’s uniquely appointed messenger for all that he has done in God’s name.  In both cases, however, the people roundly reject these divine emissaries and even threaten their lives.

We should be wary of the ways some talk about God.  People want and should give testimony to their experiences of Him.  But they err on the side of enthusiasm when they reduce God to an unmerciful executioner or even to an individual helper greater than themselves.  God is holy mystery whose nature we cannot hope to really understand.  Some say God is love, and of course He is that.  But love does not adequately explain God’s nature any more than we could say that working is our nature because we need to work.  What is more important than talking about God is acting like God as demonstrated in Jesus’ life.  We should become more compassionate, understanding, and disciplined.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Friday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)

In a recent book about God, author Karen Armstrong gives the “new atheists” a sympathetic rejection. She thinks that they are right in their critique of fundamentalist interpretations of religion that have sprouted in the last century. According to Armstrong, sectors of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism have felt their cherished beliefs called into question. However, she finds it unfortunate that self-proclaimed atheists Richard Dawkins, the recently deceased Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris do not dialogue with religious thinkers whose ideas are more subtle than the hardliners’. In the readings today Jeremiah and Jesus likewise lament the hardness of their adversaries’ positions.

Jeremiah has preached reform to the Kingdom of Judah. The people, he would say, have to stop thinking that foreign alliances will save them from the threat of Babylon. Instead, he exhorts them to be faithful to the Lord God. Jesus asks the people of Jerusalem, the heirs of those to whom Jeremiah preached, to recognize him as God’s uniquely appointed messenger for all that he has done in God’s name. In both cases, however, the people roundly reject God’s emissaries by threatening their lives.

We must be wary of God-talk. People want and should give testimony to their experiences of God. But they err on the side of enthusiasm when they reduce God to an individual helper albeit infinitely greater than themselves. God is holy mystery whose nature we cannot hope to understand. Some say God is love, and of course He is that. But love is not His nature any more than we could say that here is our nature because we are here. What is more important than God-talk is developing the loving virtues that Jesus exhibits – compassion, understanding, and self-control.