(Ezekiel
37:21-28; Jn 11:45-57)
Today we round up the 5th week of
Lent. In our readings this week, there was heated debate between Jesus and the
Jews about His origin and identity. They refused to accept His divine origin
and His identity as the Messiah. But Jesus would never compromise nor deny His
Origin or identity. So they accused Him of blasphemy and made several efforts
to arrest or kill Him but they did not succeed because His hour had not yet
come. By next week He will freely surrender Himself.
Today, we hear how the council of the chief
priests and Pharisees had their final meeting to strategize on how to kill
Jesus. It was an emergency meeting, which was prompted by the most outstanding
miracle of Jesus: the raising of Lazarus! What ought to be a good news or a
reason to convince them, became the very reason they must silence Him. The
meeting was chaired by Caiaphas. The agenda for the day was summarized: “What
are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this,
everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our
holy place our nation.” Everything was done in a hurry; there was an urgency to
do away with Him. Their kings revolt,
their rulers plot together against the Lord and against His anointed...(Ps
2:2).
“You know nothing at all; you do not understand
that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that
the whole nation should not perish.” The Chief Priest was prophetic in his
utterance though his intention was malicious. For the prophet Ezekiel in the
first reading announced that God will gather His people as one under one king,
and remove all their defilement. “But I will save them from all the
backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall
be my people, and I will be their God.” According to the prophet, this promise
of restoration will be founded on an everlasting covenant of peace with the
people...So as the leaders hurriedly conspire against the Lord, God was using
them to quickly fulfill His plan of salvation. Upon Christ Jesus will lie the
burden of gathering the Children of God.
The Children of God thus saved, must abide in
Christ Jesus with such urgency as the elders concluded in their meeting today. “They
were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, ‘What
do you think? That He will not come to the feast?’” At a time like this, it is
expedient that we look for Him. In Him lies the restoration we yearn for. The
promises given through the prophet Ezekiel today shall be ours if we pray and imitate
Jesus in our lives. Next week, we shall enter in to the solemn celebration of
the realization of our salvation in Christ Jesus.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday 4th April, 2020.
My birthday!!!
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
