CONFUSION IN THE CAMP OF EVIL PLOTTERS

Reflection for Saturday of the 4^th Week of Lent

(Jer 11:18-20; Jn 7:40-53)

Prophet Jeremiah, the suffering servant of God, narrates his ordeal in the hands of his adversaries. Though God revealed to him their evil intent, but he was like a gentle lamb that was led to the slaughter. They planned to wipe him out of the face of the earth. “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.” Evil intent, like the virus that attacks human body, will continue to spread to total destruction unless checkmated. So the Prophet quickly committed his cause to the Lord, who alone judges righteously and can take vengeance upon those who plan evil.

How does the camp of the evil plotters look like? It is not easy to work against the good. “Whoever does attack you, for your sake will fall” (Is 54:15). As the gang up against Jesus thickens, the confusion among their camp became more obvious. Initially, the Jewish authorities brainwashed the people against Jesus. But after His teaching in the Synagogue, there was division among the people. “This is really the Prophet. Others said, ‘This is the Christ.’ But some said, ‘Is the Christ to come from Galilee?’” “I have come to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled” (Lk 12:49).

The police officers who came to arrest Jesus had their authority neutralized by Jesus’ teaching. There was confusion between them and the Pharisees, who felt so disappointed that the police could not arrest Jesus. “The officers answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this man!’” They were silently arrested by Jesus, whom they came to arrest! There was confusion also among the Pharisees themselves too. Nicodemus who had contact with Jesus, carefully raised a dissenting voice. The truth became an arrow that pierced their hearts and scattered them. “They replied him, ‘Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee.”

The attempt to threaten and silence Nicodemus and other witnesses is the general characteristics of evil intent. Since truth speaks in silence, the noisy shutdown and threats indicate the confusion within the hearts that plot evil and within their camp. The conspiracy of silence that promotes evil is a hypocritical silence that denies the truth. The voice of Jesus was not heard in the reading of today, still He won the day! Let no evil intent weaken our resolve to always stand for the truth and live a righteous life.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Saturday March 28^th, 2020.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to feed on your flesh. But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul at least spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I actually receive you. Never let me drift away from you. Amen.

----St Alphonsus Liguori