Gospel: John
7:1-2, 10, 25-30
Jesus moved
about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were
trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. But when his
brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as
it were in secret.
Some of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And
look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities
have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the
Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” So Jesus cried out in the
temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am
from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not
know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me. So they tried
to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet
come.
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Reflection:
Does Jesus
fear death? Yes, He feared death, yet Jesus did not allow His fear of death to
paralyze His movement and desire to do His mission for God. He continued with
His mission and became more creative in doing it until He reached His appointed
time of arrest, persecution and death on the cross.
We see this
in the gospel reading for today, Jesus did not want to travel to Judea for the
reason that the Jews were planning to kill Him. But it was the feast of
tabernacles, a sacred Jewish feast that He must observe. So, Jesus went albeit
secretly and there He preached with passion as if there was no threat on His
life.
Do you also
have fears in your life? Whatever your fears are don’t let it paralyze you. You
have to face it so that you could conquer or defeat it. If Jesus let His fear
of death overcome Him. There would have been no triumphant death on the
cross and there would have been no salvation for all of us.
When we face
our fears we live our dreams and we are able to achieve great things for us and
our fellowmen. Fear is an instrument of the devil to prevent us from achieving
great things for us and for God. What are your fears? Ask Jesus to help you
defeat it for He will surely help you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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