Gospel: John 8:21-30
Jesus said to the
Pharisees: “I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your
sin. Where I am going you cannot come. So the
Jews said, “He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said, ‘Where I
am going you cannot come’? He said to them, “You belong to what is below, I
belong to what is above. You belong to this world but I do not belong to this
world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not
believe that I AM, you will die in your sins. So they said to him, “Who are
you? Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning. I have much to say
about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard
from him I tell the world. They did not realize that he was speaking to them of
the Father. So Jesus said to them, When
you lift up the Son of Man then you will realize that I AM, and that I do
nothing on my own but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me
is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to
him. Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
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Reflection:
What is the barrier
that prevents us to be with Jesus? It’s our sinfulness and unfaithfulness to Him.
Whenever we sin we put barrier that divides us from Jesus the more we sin the
more barriers that we create that separates us from Jesus.
But we also know
that this separation is not permanent because through our humble submission to
the Sacrament of Reconciliation we allow Jesus to reach out to us as we reach
out to Him also. This is what separates us from the many Pharisees of Jesus
time.
By their arrogance and unbelief they created a
permanent barrier between them and Jesus. This is one of the reason why Jesus
told them (Pharisees), where I am going you cannot come. What then is the key
element for us to be able to go eventually where Jesus is? It’s our humility
and belief in Jesus.
We read in the first
part of the gospel that Jesus is somewhat distant and aloft. Yes, in His
humanity Jesus was perhaps exasperated already with the Pharisees. Who would
not be? They always contradict Him, they always find fault in Him and they were
full of jealousy and unbelief.
Nevertheless Jesus
loved them dearly also the same love and intensity that He gave to His
followers and to us also. Jesus did not sacrifice His life on the cross for
those who only believe Him. He died on the cross or all of us believers, unbelievers
and sinners.
If you think that
because of your sinfulness and unbelief you’re already hopeless and out of the
loop of the love of Jesus. You’re not, you still have hope, you’re still dearly
loved by Jesus who died for you on the cross. Pray to Him and look up to Him. –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
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