HOMILY OF THURSDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK IN LENT
Exodus 32:7-14, John 5:31-47
THEME: LOOKING AND SEEING
Looking can be compared to hearing while seeing is like listening. A person might hear without listening and look without seeing. The former is just a surface thing while the latter is a deeper and more fruitful activity.
Jesus gives a clearer explanation of the above statement when he told the Jews,
“You study the scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life; now these same scriptures testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me for life!”
They studied the word, but when the word became flesh, they couldn’t recognize him. There is nothing so disappointing as to realize that someone’s efforts all along have been channeled to the wrong cause. It is good to make findings into the root of human endeavors with an open mind. This entails knowing what we are doing and why we do it.
The Jews studied the scripture with the wrong intention. They studied the scripture as a tool to back up their arguments about religious matters. They believed in the laws and not in the God who made them. We are expected to study the word of God for our spiritual nourishment and the edification of others.
We need to understand that Christianity is more than an ordinary concept. It is about a person, the person of Jesus Christ. It is about a God who speaks and acts in human history. It is not about a theological controversy, rather, about a God of revelation, who has come to live among men.
As we study the word of God daily, let us ask him to reveal himself more to us so that we may be able to align with his mission in our time.
May the word of God bear fruits in our lives through Christ our Lord. Amen
Leave a comment