Homily for Tuesday, 5th Week of Lent

Homily for Tuesday
5th Week of Lent

March 20, 2018

John 8: 21-31

I actually wrote out this homily for our little daily Mass at DBCR but didn’t get to deliver it because an accident on New Hampshire Ave. caused a traffic delay, and I couldn’t get to school in time.  So I post a current homily, for a change, but one that wasn’t actually used.

I don’t know about you, but I usually find John a lot more of a challenge to grasp than Matthew, Mark, or Luke.

Jesus’ opponents among the Jewish leadership don’t grasp the story either.  He tells the Pharisees he’s going away (8:21), meaning that he’s going to the Father (13:1).  They’ve refused to believe that he came from the Father (8:18,26), speaks the Father’s message (8:26,28), does the Father’s will (5:30; 8:29), leads all who are willing to the Father (14:4-6).  So his opponents are doomed:  “You will die in your sin” (8:21,24)—not because God isn’t merciful but because they can’t see and don’t want to see who Jesus is (9:41), can’t see and don’t want to see beyond “this world” that they belong to (8:23).

When they ask, “Who are you?” (8:25), they don’t do so honestly, seeking truth—any more than Pilate will be interested in truth (18:38).  That, of course, is a test for us:  do we really care who Jesus is?  Do we behold him “lifted up” (8:28) and recognize the one who came from the Father and is now exalted with the Father (cf. 12:28; 13:31-32; 17:1)?  Will we try to imitate him in doing only what we hear from the Father (8:26)?  Will we let him lead us to the Father?