Word to the Wise
Monday, March 14, 2016 - 5th Week of Lent - Mon
[Dan 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62 and , in Year C John 8:12-20]"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." [John]
MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 MONDAY IN THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT
[Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 and John 8:12-20]
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." [John]
Another characteristic of the Gospel of John (along with the Sign/Discourse pattern and the "Amen, amen, I say to you..." pattern) is the "I AM" saying. In today's gospel, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." In other places, we see "I am the good shepherd" and "I am the bread of life" and "I am the way..." or "I am the resurrection and the life.' If one reads to the end of chapter 8, from which today's gospel is taken, there is a climactic use of the saying which combines with the "Amen, amen, I say to you" when Jesus says to his adversaries, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM."
These "I AM" sayings echo the voice from the burning bush in which God reveals to Moses the name: I AM. The statement about Abraham echoes the "prologue" to this gospel which speaks of Jesus' eternal dwelling as the "Word." All of this points to faith as a sharing in the life of Jesus as the one whom God has sent. He is the light by which we know the way. He is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He is the bread that feeds us and gives us eternal life not just when we "die" but now.
The dramatic quality of the Gospel of John helps to build the atmosphere of Jesus' approach to his final "hour" in earthly time and his "hour" in the sense of being "lifted up" as he told Nicodemus back in chapter 3. This is a lot to absorb, I realize, but there is great reward in reading the Gospel of John at this time of the liturgical year. Today we can simply be grateful for "the light of the world" who can dispel our darkness with his presence. AMEN
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