Word to the Wise
Friday, March 30, 2012 - 5th Week of Lent - Fri
[Jer 20:10-13 and John 10:31-42]We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus' antagonists are looking at the situation from the perspective of their own faith. They are like the audience in Nazareth which erupted when Jesus told them that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that he had just read to them. It takes quite a leap of faith to accept that a human person could be divine, especially when the history of your religious tradition was involved in getting rid of material images - idols - of "gods." Jesus tries to get them to look at the "works" that he does, but they don't see those as manifestations of divinity, only of a power that this particular human possesses.
We who are "cradle Catholics" may find it difficult to understand the "leap of faith." We have been "brought up" with religious faith. Even if we become estranged from the church, faith has a way of staying with us. We are on the inside looking out. I have met, especially in my years of campus ministry, people who were on the outside looking in. They want to know how I can believe in such a thing as God becoming human and dying for humanity! The fact that I have given my life to preaching about this person does command some attention, but that alone will not supply the "leap of faith." It is the good example of faithful believers that ultimately convinces, even if there are some intellectual reasons that help. We Catholics are often reluctant to talk about our faith. Our baptism can make us all "preachers" or at least someone who can invite another "seeker" to "come and see." Try that with the Holy Week services! AMEN
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