HOMILY OF FRIDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK IN LENT
Wisdom 2:1,12-22, John 7:1-2,10,25-30
THEME: THE TRIAL OF THE JUST MAN
QUOTE: Doing things just to gain popularity rather because they are right, when the result comes out badly, God may not save us even though we know he has the power to protect us. We need moderation. We must employ our instinct of self-preservation.
“…..Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof…..”
The first reading from the book of Wisdom, speaks about how the wicked plot the destruction of the virtuous man, forgetting that God always stand by those who put their trust in him. Some of the trials we face in life are just devilish traps to test our faith. Any slight shift from trust to mistrust can bring one to a disastrous end. Nevertheless, God’s grace remains a protection for those who truly put their trust in him. Even when we make mistakes, the Lord who sees our inner being has his own way of rescuing us from the enemy’s den.
In the gospel, we can see the hatred the people had for Jesus and how they plotted to kill him. Nonetheless, when he came to speak in the temple, they could not touch him, because his hour had not come. Likewise, no one can stop our destiny. God will never allow the enemies to rejoice over us.
But in all of this, we must learn from Jesus, how careful he was not to play easily into the people’s hands. “As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself.” We need wisdom to manage our lives and then leave God to do the rest. Doing things just to gain popularity rather because they are right, when the result comes out badly, God may not save us even though we know he has the power to protect us. We need moderation. We must employ our instinct of self-preservation.
May the Lord preserve us from evil and may he sharpen our instincts of self-preservation. Amen.
