Today’s scripture readings continuously lead us to a dramatic commemoration of Holy Week, which will be two weeks from today.
Reading the Book of Wisdom 2:1-22, the wicked seem to be waging war against the good. They said, “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us, he sets himself against our doings.” It is understandable that those wicked people confront us with their evil intent to harm and to destroy us because we are against them. We must be vigilant to oppose their vicious and destructive ways to put us down.
Jesus is harassed and confronted by the Jewish religious leaders as the hour of His passion is getting closer. He takes advantage purposefully of the discussion with them. He had spoken of the value of the testimony of John the Baptist and of all Christian testimony, but the fact was that they rejected outright His own testimony.
We should be enlightened that His words and works mirrored the same God, whom Jesus wants to reveal, especially that the Father’s love be known to all. The purpose of His coming is for the people to be reconciled with God, rather than the people blocking His work to give life. The work of God is to give life, primarily, to accomplish His mission.
It is obvious that they want to kill Jesus. It is ironic that these people claimed to be knowledgeable about God’s Law and yet they exactly resemble the “wicked” mentioned in the first reading. These religious leaders were close-minded in understanding the real message of God’s Law, to be merciful and to know the truth from those being favored by God due to their humility and kindness and the transforming grace of God shining through them. It is a clear message not to judge others’ goodness by your personal standard of truth. We heard the wisdom that “we claim to know all about God but we really don’t know anything.”
The last line of today’s Gospel reads, “they tried to seize Him,” but we must seize or capture the Lord in our hearts, not to kill Him, but to be open to receive the fulness of life, with all our remaining days to improve our spiritual life by using our time to grasp, listen, meditate and comprehend His words.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
