Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 5th Week of Lent - Wed
[Dan 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 and John 8:31-42]WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017 WEDNESDAY IN THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT [Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 and John 8:51-59] "Abraham, your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." [John] Jesus' declaration about Abraham causes his Jewish audience to pickup stones to throw because they thought he was committing blasphemy. One cannot blame them. HIs words are startling. The text combines two features of the gospel: the "Amen, amen, I say to you" statements and the "I AM" statements, which indicate the importance of the words. Although some scripture scholars dispute whether or not Jesus actually claimed to be God in this statement, the audience clearly thought that was what he was saying! We, as a matter of faith, read this and think, "Well, of course!" In a way, our faith can become "domesticated" and we take for granted what, to Jesus' audience, seemed impossible and blasphemous. In our own day, a different audience sees these statements also as impossible and sheer fantasy. These are the eyes of secular "science" and philosophy who think religion is fantasy and a source of terrible violence or else treat religion and faith with total indifference. As we prepare to celebrate the events of Holy Week and Easter, we face the words of Jesus about the Eucharist, the scandal of the Cross, and the truth of his Resurrection. We preach this to a skeptical age but we know it to be true. Our challenge is to reach the minds and hearts of those who are ready to throw stones or those who just don't care. AMEN
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