FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT APRIL 1, 2022

MASS READINGS

A reading of the holy Gospel according to Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Jesus moved about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret. Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.

REFLECTION

“You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”

April Fools Day is a day of fooling others and others fooling us.

In the Book of Wisdom, it says, “their wickedness blinded them”, they knew not the hidden counsels of God”.

The wicked people in Judea were plotting to kill Jesus so Jesus stayed in Galilee. However, as was accustomed, He did go to The Temple of Jerusalem to observe the Feast of the Tabernacles or Sukkot (1)

And while Jesus taught in the Temple, the people murmured, “ But we know where he is from. When the Christ (Messiah) comes, no one will know where he is from”. Jesus cried out,” You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."

There were many frustrations, misconceptions, misunderstandings, bad judgments and assumptions as to who was Jesus. They refused to learn and so these foolish ideas led to their anger. Their lack of knowledge, wisdom, understanding and lack of faith led them to believe that Jesus was not the Messiah. Instead they decided to arrest Him.

But it was not His time.!

Let us not live a life of foolishness nor fall into the trap of the wicked people. Know that Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, both human and divine natures, the Suffering servant of Isaiah, and the Messiah of the world.

“Behold, O God our protector, and look upon the face of Your Christ”. 
(Ps 83:10).

God bless you.

(1) There were Three Pilgrimage Festivals that the Jewish people were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Jerusalem. The Feast of the Tabernacles or the Sukkot was a holiday held in the fall celebrating the gathering of the harvest as well as the Jewish exodus from Egypt.