Word to the Wise
Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 5th Week of Lent - Thurs
[Gen 17:3-9 and John 8:51-59]"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death." [John]
In the Gospel of John, anytime Jesus begins a statement with the words, "Amen, amen, I say to you...." we know that something very important will follow. The words quoted above are no exception. They incite a dialogue that culminates in another important set of words: "I AM."
The dialogue itself is important. Jesus' adversaries point out that Abraham and the prophets are dead. They ask, "Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?" That last question is the one that will trigger Jesus' statement that he [Jesus] is eternal: "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." Then the stones started to fly!
How would any of us respond to the words, "Who do you make yourself out to be?" if we shared something of our faith? Pope Francis responded to that question in his famous early interview by saying, "I am a sinner." How would we explain that keeping Jesus word means eternal life, and not just after the event of physical death, but NOW? He is indeed greater than the great Abraham and the prophets, but would anyone know it from the way we live and speak? Are we worried about the stone-throwers?
Lent is not just a time for giving up a favorite food or increasing our religious devotions for 40 days. It is a time to ask how we might become "missionary disciples" as Pope Francis has challenged us to be. We can ask ourselves the question, "Who do you make yourself out to be?" AMEN
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