Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
MY FATHER AND I ARE STILL WORKING
When Jesus is questioned and blamed for curing a paralyzed man on a Sabbath, Jesus responded to them that how he is like the Father. Yes, after the work of creation, God rested on the seventh day. But the work of redemption is going on, the Father and Jesus are always at work, even on a Sabbath. Both continue the work of liberation, comforting and loving, bringing abundant nourishment to the chosen people, raising up the lame and the dead, all expressions of the work of salvation. God passionately declares that he is with us, that he cannot forget us, that he wants us to live in his love, that he is faithful to his covenant, even if his chosen people are not. Jesus is the sign of God’s love. He is the source of life now among us. With Jesus, we have to seek the Father’s will.
Reading 1:Isaiah 49:8-18
“When the time’s ripe, I answer you.
When victory’s due, I help you.
I form you and use you
to reconnect the people with me,
To put the land in order,
to resettle families on the ruined properties.
I tell prisoners, ‘Come on out. You’re free!’
and those huddled in fear, ‘It’s all right. It’s safe now.’
There’ll be foodstands along all the roads,
picnics on all the hills—
Nobody hungry, nobody thirsty,
shade from the sun, shelter from the wind,
For the Compassionate One guides them,
takes them to the best springs.
I’ll make all my mountains into roads,
turn them into a superhighway.
Look: These coming from far countries,
and those, out of the north,
These streaming in from the west,
and those from all the way down the Nile!”
Heavens, raise the roof! Earth, wake the dead!
Mountains, send up cheers!
God has comforted his people.
He has tenderly nursed his beaten-up, beaten-down people.
But Zion said, “I don’t get it. God has left me.
My Master has forgotten I even exist.”
“Can a mother forget the infant at her breast,
walk away from the baby she bore?
But even if mothers forget,
I’d never forget you—never.
Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.
The walls you’re rebuilding are never out of my sight.
Your builders are faster than your wreckers.
The demolition crews are gone for good.
Look up, look around, look well!
See them all gathering, coming to you?
As sure as I am the living God”—God’s Decree—
“you’re going to put them on like so much jewelry,
you’re going to use them to dress up like a bride.
Gospel: John 5:17-33
That really set them off. The Jews were now not only out to expose him; they were out to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, putting himself on a level with God.
So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.
“But you haven’t seen the half of it yet, for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father’s decision to put the Son in the place of honor.
“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.
“It’s urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment.
“Don’t act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice. Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment.
“I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I’m not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all. Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn’t he?
Prayer
Our God and Father,
you keep seeking us out
with love as passionate as a mother’s love,
even when we have abandoned you.
Give us hope and courage,
especially when we feel uncertain.
Reassure us that you want us to live
in the security of your love
and that you stay with us
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reflection:
22 March 2023
JOHN 5:17-30
For the greater glory of God
Today’s Gospel follows immediately on yesterday’s story of the healing of the disabled man by the pool. That passage ended with the words: “The Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did the healing on a sabbath.” As with some other sabbath healings, we might point out that there was absolutely no urgency to do the healing on a sabbath for someone who had waited 38 years. It is just another indication of the divine authority with which Jesus works. So Jesus’ reply is direct and unapologetic: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”
John wants to clarify to his community the Mission of Jesus in their lives – that is, Jesus alone can restore the health of the ailing Israel. It is not just through one’s adherence to the Jewish law and traditions but through the stirring waters of baptism that we are healed and given new life.
Jesus tells us in this Gospel that he does not do anything alone. He always keeps his Father as the point of reference for all that he does. Christ’s life is not self-referential but reflects the desires of the Father. Just as a son looks to his dad to learn how to live, asking “why” and “how,” Christ looked to his Father before acting. We are called to imitate Jesus’ submissiveness and love of the Father by living for Christ above all things. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
We live in a world where being popular is the catchword. We are encouraged to put ourselves ahead, make a name for ourselves, and get noticed—even to the point of becoming someone we’re not. The act of healing on a Sabbath day makes Jesus noticed, and his popularity is skyrocketing. And that disturbs the Jewish authorities. Perhaps they are not so much offended at the act of healing itself, but they are furious for the popularity he has gained. All that Christ does is to honour his Father. Even his final sacrifice on the Cross was for us, yes, but also to give glory to his Father. Does our popularity bring glory to God or are we glorifying ourselves?
Let us resolve that, by the grace of God we will take some time today to spend with the Father, asking for the grace to do our tasks for His glory.