Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
In today’s Gospel, people seem to be confused about Jesus. Some thought he was a prophet, others thought he was Christ (Koine Greek for “Anointed One”), and others thought he was lying. There was also confusion about what to do with him. Arrest him? Hear him out? How can we apply this Scripture passage to our lives today?
As a cradle Catholic, I take for granted that Jesus is the Messiah since I learned this at a very young age. It’s easy to view the chief priests and Pharisees as being stubborn or stupid in not believing in Jesus. However, if someone today were to walk into church and say the things Jesus said, we might think that person is crazy. In the same way, we should be so quick or harse to judge those chief priests, Pharisees, and others. After all, we know what happens at the end of the Gospel, but they don’t.
Even if we know who Jesus is, we are still confused about where He is. Most consider Jesus being in church is a given. However, do we fail to see where Jesus is outside of church like at work, at home, in the grocery store, etc? More often than not, we forget that God is everywhere and in every person since we are made in the image of God. Where and in whom did you see God today?
Additionally, I find the last line in today’s Gospel passage interesting: “Then each went to his own house” (John 7:53). Why should we care if people went home? That sentence is actually half a sentence. The other half reads, “while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.” In all that confusion, Jesus got away. This part of the Gospel continues right into the stoning of the woman caught committing adultery. At the end, Jesus forgave her sins. This shows us that despite being questioned and probably harassed, he was undeterred in doing the work he was called to do. Even when we fail to see Jesus in our ordinary lives, he is still present and at work anyway and calls us to persevere in the work he calls us to do.
As we continue our Lenten journey, let us pray for the grace and awareness to see God more in our everyday lives.
—Sr. Emily Sandoval