Lenten Reflection

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

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. T
he 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.

Reflection
Stacy Schipellite
Class of  2011

Once again, Jesus is attempting to explain himself to the crowds. Yet, even those who come to believe in him because of what he has said still do not truly understand and realize the full meaning of what he reveals about himself. John writes that the people who hear Jesus speak do not realize he is speaking of his unique relationship to the Father. Though they do not completely understand, some still believe. This is the essence of faith: to believe in something that is not perhaps as clear as one wants it to be. Jesus is approaching the people on a level of faith and inviting them to life through a relationship with him for he has come to save them. Only by accepting Jesus can the people be saved from sin.

Jesus' message of faith rings true in our lives today. Especially in college, life seems so busy. Life is crowded and noisy and loud, and sometimes it is hard to find time to pray to God or to go to mass. Everyone is always thinking: I'll go some other day. I don't have time right now. Yet, Jesus is calling us to him so they we will truly live. He is giving us the opportunity to change, to acknowledge our sin and become better people for it. Some of those who heard Jesus were open to what Jesus had to say. Can we hear him speaking to us today? They believed, though they do not fully understand. Can we take the leap of faith? They opened themselves to God, and that is the most important part of truly living. Can we open ourselves to God and fully live? They wanted to be saved from their sins; they wanted to understand Jesus' message for them; they allowed his words to fill their minds and hearts with faith. Can we stir to flame our desire to be saved and allow ourselves to be filled with the gift of faith?