Daily Readings - Fri Mar 27 2020
Wisdom
1For they have said, reasoning with themselves incorrectly: "Our lifetime is brief and tedious, and there is no relief within the limits of man, and no one is acknowledged to have returned from the dead12Therefore, let us encircle the just, because he is useless to us, and he is against our works, and he reproaches us with our legal offenses, and makes known to us the sins of our way of life13He promises that he has the knowledge of God and he calls himself the son of God14He was made among us to expose our very thoughts15He is grievous for us even to behold, for his life is unlike other men’s lives, and immutable are his ways16It is as if we are considered by him to be insignificant, and he abstains from our ways as from filth; he prefers the newly justified, and he glories that he has God for his father17Let us see, then, if his words are true, and let us test what will happen to him, and then we will know what his end will be18For if he is the true son of God, he will receive him and deliver him from the hands of his adversaries19Let us examine him with insult and torture, that we may know his reverence and try his patience20Let us condemn him to a most shameful death, for, according to his own words, God will care for him.21These things they thought, and they were mistaken, for their own malice blinded them22And they were ignorant of the mysteries of God; they neither hoped for the reward of justice, nor judged the value of holy souls
John
1Then, after these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee. For he was not willing to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him2Now the feast day of the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles, was near10But after his brothers went up, then he also went up to the feast day, not openly, but as if in secret25Therefore, some of those from Jerusalem said: "Is he not the one whom they are seeking to kill26And behold, he is speaking openly, and they say nothing to him. Could the leaders have decided that it is true this one is the Christ27But we know him and where he is from. And when the Christ has arrived, no one will know where he is from.28Therefore, Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: "You know me, and you also know where I am from. And I have not arrived of myself, but he who sent me is true, and him you do not know29I know him. For I am from him, and he has sent me.30Therefore, they were seeking to apprehend him, and yet no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the tension between faith and unbelief, as well as the mystery of God’s presence in the world. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we encounter a vivid depiction of the wicked plotting against the just man. The passage reveals the twisted logic of those who reject the righteous and question their relationship with God. They assume the just man’s claims about knowing God are false and decide to test him through suffering and death. This passage reflects the age-old struggle between those who walk in the light of faith and those who are blinded by malice and ignorance of God’s ways.
In the Gospel, we see a similar dynamic unfold as Jesus teaches in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. The crowd is divided: some question whether he could truly be the Messiah, while others are astonished that the authorities have not yet apprehended him. Jesus cries out, affirming that he has been sent by the Father, but many fail to recognize the truth because they do not know God. This passage highlights the spiritual blindness that can prevent people from seeing God’s presence, even when it is right before their eyes.
These readings remind us that faith is not always easy, and it often requires us to trust in God even when we face doubt, rejection, or suffering. Like the just man in Wisdom, we may encounter those who question our beliefs or even persecute us for living according to God’s will. Like the crowd in the Gospel, we may struggle to recognize God’s presence in our lives or in the world around us. Yet, the readings encourage us to remain steadfast in our faith, to trust in God’s truth, and to live with integrity, even when it is difficult. Let us ask for the grace to see God more clearly and to walk in his light, no matter the challenges we may face.