March 15, 2013

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Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent 
Lectionary: 248

Reading 1WIS 2:1A, 12-22

The book of Wisdom is one of the Deuterocanonical books, the books called Apocrypha by the Protestants.   This chapter has an uncanny prophecy of our crucified Lord.

The wicked said among themselves,
thinking not aright:
“Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.

The evil ones said to themselves, "The righteous one, we despise.  He makes us look bad and discovers all our sins."

He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.

He calls Himself the Son of God and claims to know the Father.  He discovers our evil intentions.  We can't stand to look at Him.  He is not like anyone else.

He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.

He knows our sins and stays away from us.  He rejoices in the actions of the righteous and announces that He is the Son of God.

Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.

Let us test His Words, for if He is the Son of God, God will protect Him.

With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.

Let us persecute Him and punish Him.  Let us condemn Him and insult Him.  Let us test Him to see if He is truly the Son of God.

Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him.”
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls’ reward.

Let us persecute Him to death because He claims God will care for Him.  This is what they thought.  But they were mistaken.  Because they were blinded by their evil sins.  And they didn't understand God's ways.  Nor did they consider the reward for holiness nor did they anticipate the inheritance of an innocent soul. 

Responsorial PsalmPS 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 AND 23

R. (19a) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

God is near to those who mourn but the wicked He condemns.  He will remove all memory of them from this life.  When the righteous call to Him, God listens.  And from all their problems, He saves them.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

God is near to those who sorrow.  And the poor in spirit He exalts.  The righteous man confronts many difficulties.  But God rescues them from all trouble.

He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

God covers them so that they will not be hurt.  He saves His people.  All who rely on Him are forgiven of their sins. 

GospelJN 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.

Jesus stayed in Galilee because the people of Judea were trying to kill Him.  But the feast of the Tabernacles was coming up. 

But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.

When His brethren had gone to the feast, Jesus also went, but secretly.

Many think that the brothers here mentioned are members of Jesus' family.  But I believe this is a reference to the disciples who walked out on Him just a few verses ago.  If we go back one page, to John 6, we find these words:

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

That's just 7 verses back.  And the term "brothers" or "brethren" are frequently used in respect to Jesus' disciples.

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?

Some of the people of the people saw Him there and wondered, "Isn't that the man they are trying to kill?  Could the Rulers have realized that He is the Messiah?"
  

But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”

"But we know Him and we know where He is from.  But no one will know where the Messiah 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.

But Jesus said to them, "You do know me and know where I was born.  But you do not know my Father who sent me.  I know Him because I am His Son and He sent me."  

So, the Jews tried to arrest Him, but they could not touch Him because it was not His time.