Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent

During the Fourth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of the man born blind is not read on the Fourth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

"Jesus Among the Doctors"
by Paolo Veronese, 1558

 
Readings for Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22
 
The wicked said among themselves,
thinking not aright:
"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him."
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls' reward.
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Commentary on Wis 2:1a, 12-22
 
In this passage from the Book of Wisdom we see Scripture usually associated with the passion of the Lord. It draws heavily on imagery from the “suffering servant” in Isaiah (Isaiah 52-66 ff). The motives and feelings of those who oppose God are laid bare in clear language.
 
“This section describes the way the ungodly think and behave, and their error in so doing. Righteousness is immortal; but the ungodly think that life ends at death and therefore they try to strike a bargain with death (Wisdom 1:16-2:19). Moreover, they hound the righteous man because he thinks and acts differently from the way they do (Wisdom 2:10-20). They have no idea what life is all about (Wisdom 2:21-24).” [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23
 
R. (19a) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
 
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
 
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
 
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
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Commentary on Ps 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23
 
Psalm 34 is generally a song of thanksgiving; however, this selection is more from the wisdom tradition (see Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22). We hear the results of the actions of the evildoers, whose motives were made clear, and how the Lord supports the just person.
 
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Gospel: John 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.
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Commentary on Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30
 
Jesus leaves Galilee for the last time and goes down to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast of Tabernacles. He goes, knowing there is a plot to kill him. The suggestion in v. 10 is that he did not come with the fanfare that would have normally been associated with a prominent teacher or prophet.  Still, he is recognized by his teachings in the temple area by people who know of him, and the negative view the Sanhedrin has about him. There is an ironic statement by St. John: “Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?”
 
Jesus challenges the Jews' understanding that the Christ (Messiah) would reveal himself “suddenly and unmistakably, and that prior to this manifestation he would be completely hidden.” The Lord proclaims himself to be the one who was foretold and says further that they know what he is talking about.
 
The fact that they cannot arrest him testifies to the fact that the crowd, at least, was divided on his identity. The authorities would not have wanted to stir up controversy in the middle of the celebration of a major feast.
 
CCC: Jn 7:1 583; Jn 7:10 583
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Reflection:
 
We see, in St. John’s account of Jesus’ return to Jerusalem, the great passion the Lord has for the mission upon which he had been sent.  Since his baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist, Jesus has had only one goal, to reveal to the Father’s creation that he loves them. He reveals that the law and the prophets are an attempt to show the people how to imitate the love of God in order for them to live in his peace and to inherit the Kingdom of God, coming there at last, at the end of this world. 
 
That was his purpose in coming in a nutshell.  It is clear in the stories from the Gospels that coming as he did, “taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance” (Philippians 2: 7), Jesus saw with those human eyes that his mission was not close to being accomplished.  The emotion of this realization is captured by St. John’s Gospel: “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.'"
 
The Lord fairly begs the people present to understand the mission with which he is charged. But they do not see.  They are weak and afraid.  They had heard that this man was dangerous and that the chief priests wanted him dead.  Even so, we are surprised they did not arrest him when he revealed himself.
 
It is the purpose of Christ’s mission to reward our faith in him, and that reward is not given without faith and trust.  It is a great irony that, to find salvation, we must be willing to accept, on faith, that the gift of faith yields this great prize.  And as the Lord “cries out” to us to accept his mission and example, we find the real purpose in our Lenten journey.  We are to cast away our fear and weakness and accept the offer God has issued through his Only Son.
 
This, we know, is a very hard thing to do.  Human weakness is built into us all.  The need to conform to the group satisfies an internal urge to be loved, and often the group is not guided by the divine will of Christ so we fail.  But the Lord continues to cry out to us. He continues to open the way for us.  So great is his love that he accepts our blemishes, our weakness, and our fear, cherishing us even in our sin.  It is his unwavering fidelity that often confuses us.  We cannot understand how one so pure could love us.
 
To our continuing amazement, we recognize rationally that he is still crying out to us, calling us home to him, and we pledge ourselves once more to respond.  We offer that response as our prayer today.
 
Pax

Stations of the Cross

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[1] The picture today is "Jesus Among the Doctors" by Paolo Veronese, 1558.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Wisdom Books” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p.310.