Gospel Reading of the Day
From the holy Gospel according to
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| JEWS ATTEMPTING TO STONE AND ARREST JESUS. Image from brooklynmuseum.org |
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?" The Jews answered, "We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, 'You are Gods''? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform then, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, "John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true." And many there began to believe in him.
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
Personal Reflection on the Reading
Sharing for the Day
Jesus once told the people that they should follow what the Pharisees teach but never to follow their deeds because of their hypocrisy [see Matthew 23:3]. In our sharing last Sunday, we mentioned about integrity, the opposite of hypocrisy.
In contrast, today the Lord told the Jews that His works speak about the truth of His being sent by the Father and so they must believe Him because of such works, even if they could not accept what He teaches them.
But unlike the Pharisees and teachers of the law who do not even lift a finger to help the people carry the load of so many laws [see Matthew 23:4], Jesus our Lord assured us that "my yoke is easy and my burden light" [Matthew 11:30].
As Christians, we must not be like the Pharisees who may have the best intentions and the wisest reasons for telling the people about doing this and that and yet they themselves would not do what they preach. Though the teachers of the Law, they somehow made themselves exempt from the requirements of the Law. They may not exactly fall into the category of "Lawmaker, Lawbreaker" but still they fail to become exemplars for not following the principle, "Practice what you preach."
We, instead, must truly conform to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must have integrity. We must be like our Lord whose words and actions are consistent with one another. These words may have been spoken in relation to the Eucharist, but still it speaks a lot if as friends of the Lord Jesus we have to live a liturgical, sacramental life: "Do this in memory of me!" [1 Corinthians 11: 24-25; Luke 22: 19-20].
Yes, whatever we think, say or do must be in memory of Jesus, in accordance with what Jesus thought, said and did, for that's how others would know that we are His followers and friends. If we become inconsistent, that is, if our words and actions do not agree, we're not Christians at all but modern-day Pharisees! Worse, others might even think or believe that the Lord also lacks consistency or integrity if they see our hypocrisy!
Our Lenten journey is about to end. Let us maximize the remaining days in meditating on the holiness of integrity and the evil of hypocrisy!
Application of the Message
[1] Prayer
Pray for the acquisition of integrity and the avoidance of hypocrisy!
[2] Abstinence
Abstain from something, if any, that inclines you to be a hypocrite.
[3] Almsgiving
What can you share today in order to inspire someone to aspire for integrity?
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