Word to the Wise
Saturday, March 31, 2007 - Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
[Ezekiel 37:21-28 and John 11:45-56]Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish." He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.
Imagine yourself hearing or reading this passage in the times in which it was written, which was at least 20 years AFTER the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.. The irony in the words is considerable. By killing Jesus, the plotters hoped to avoid trouble with the Romans and save the nation. Less than 40 years later, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. By killing Jesus, the plotters hoped to put an end to his preaching and mission. That failed too. Jesus' mission to gather the dispersed children of God continues. What do we hear in our own time? It seems to me that there is plenty of effort to remove faith from human life in favor of a non-religious secular/civic creed in which a "nation" or a "people" become the principal deity. Civil rituals replace sacred liturgy. These efforts are nothing new. Revolutionary activity since the days of our own revolution has tried over and over again to destroy the church AND religious faith. It hasn't worked but that doesn't keep the state and non-believers from trying over and over again. The sad thing is that we Catholics unwittingly help these forces by being lukewarm or non-participative in our Catholic community. Ignorance of church teaching, especially in the realm of social justice, is widespread. The effort to "kill" Jesus failed the first time. It would be truly ironic if we, his followers, by own lack of care, made a subsequent effort successful! AMEN
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