(Optional Memorial for Saint Toribio De Mogrovejo, Bishop)
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| “The Attempt to Stone Christ” by Michael Pacher 1479-81 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
During the Fifth Week of Lent
(especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the
Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional
Mass Texts are
offered.
Reading 1: Jeremiah 20:10-13
I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce
him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of
mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped;
then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on
him."
But the LORD is with me, like a
mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they
will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put
to utter shame,ac
to lasting, unforgettable
confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the
just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you
take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my
cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the
poor
from the power of the wicked!
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Commentary on Jer
20:10-13
Jeremiah is near despair as the
plots of his family and friends are fomented against him. We can clearly hear
the fear in his voice (“All those who were my friends are on the watch for
any misstep of mine”). Yet, in spite of his dire situation, he trusts that
God will support him. Indeed, he is hoping that God will not only save him but
will punish those who plot against him.
This is a typical Old Testament
understanding of the God of Justice, who visits his wrath on the enemies of the
faithful. We see also an interesting observation about the path of the
faithful: “O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart,”
inferring that the path of faithfulness is always difficult.
CCC: Jer 20:7-18 2584
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4,
5-6, 7
R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my
deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round
about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed
me;
The cords of the nether world
enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the
LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and he heard my voice.
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Commentary on Ps
18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
Psalm 18 is a hymn of thanksgiving
for God’s salvation. While in its full
form it is sung in thanks to God for victory following a physical battle, in
these strophes we see thanks is given for heavenly aid in difficult situations.
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Gospel: John 10:31-42
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 him,
"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 them, 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.
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Commentary on Jn
10:31-42
Jesus is in the Temple at Jerusalem, once again on a festival day (probably the Feast of the Dedication or Festival of Lights). He has just finished his discourse on the Good Shepherd and a number of those present are pressing him to declare that he is the Messiah. Immediately preceding this reading, he answered them, “The Father and I are one.” Now his enemies pick up stones ready to punish him for this blasphemy.
Instead of leaving immediately,
Jesus tells them to look at his works, the signs he has performed, and judge if
he is not doing the Father’s work. When they tell him it is not his works they
challenge but his assertion that he is God, Jesus tells them: “Is it not
written in your law, 'I said, You are gods'?” This is a reference to the judges
of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge (Deuteronomy 1:17), were
called "gods"; cf Exodus 21:6, in
addition to Psalm
82:6 from which the quotation comes.
Jesus continues to point at his
salvific actions, but the agents of the Sanhedrin do not accept this argument,
although many in the crowd do since we hear: “…they tried again to arrest
him; but he escaped their power.” This would seem to imply that they feared
intervention from the crowd. Jesus leaves followed by “many” and
continues to teach, across the Jordan.
CCC: Jn 10:31-38 548; Jn
10:31 574; Jn
10:33 574,
589, 594; Jn 10:36-38 591; Jn
10:36 437,
444, 1562; Jn 10:37-38 582; Jn
10:38 548
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Reflection:
At the very beginning of St. Paul’s
rendition of the Kenotic Hymn in Philippians 2: 5-11 he says: “Have among yourselves the same
attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.” This attitude is very
clearly presented in the Gospel of St. John, as Jesus is confronted in the
Temple by those who want him killed. It contrasts very nicely with the
Prophet Jeremiah, who is in similar circumstances depicted in the first
reading.
Jeremiah is being persecuted.
His family and friends have turned against him and he fears for his life.
What does he do? As the faith-filled prophet he is, he turns to God with
confidence that he will be vindicated. He is sure that his enemies will not
succeed and that they themselves will feel the punishment of God. The
prophet even longs to see the punishment God will visit upon those who plot
against him (“Let me witness the vengeance you take on them”).
We contrast this attitude with the
attitude of Christ that we, as his followers, are enjoined to assume.
Jesus has come to Jerusalem, to the Temple, and there is confronting the Jewish
Leadership. These leaders are tasked with remaining faithful to the Law and
Prophets, waiting for the Messiah to come as promised. It is the Messiah who
will lead them to the peace and salvation promised by God. Jesus is being
urged by those who have seen the signs and who are longing for the salvation of
God, to come out and announce that he is this long awaited Messiah. But,
recognizing that this expectation is misplaced, that what they hope for is born
of human desire, not the divine plan he has come to fulfill, he defers.
Instead he takes a much more dangerous path. He tells them of his divine
origin.
Immediately, he has placed himself
in a much more dangerous position than the one in which Jeremiah had been. This
is where we see the attitude of Christ. He does not flee, nor does he
call upon the Father to punish the unbelieving people who call themselves
Priests of God. He tries to open their eyes so that they can see that he
is indeed the Son of God. “Believe the works,” he begs them, not
to save himself, but to save those who fail to see. Indeed, the attitude
of Christ is love. He expresses his love through his invitation, even in
the face of their hatred.
Alas, the time of fulfillment has
not yet come and he leaves, going to where it all began, where St. John the
Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan.
Soon though, we see the attitude of Christ fully exposed. Soon now, God
calls him home.
Pax
[1]
The picture is from St. Wolfgang Altarpiece: “The
Attempt to Stone Christ” by Michael Pacher 1479-81
[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 re-publication is
not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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