Friday April 7
In my life as a priest and religious, there are times when crises hit, conflicts emerge, and the going gets tough. One of the things I do then to find relief and get going is to visit the place where one of the deepest affirmations of my vocation had come. When it is not possible to visit that sacred place physically, I go there in my imagination. It always helps.
With conflicts and stone-pelting all around him, it might have been a deeply consoling experience for Jesus to return to “the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had baptized.” It was where it all had begun, with his baptism and the first public affirmation from his Father that he indeed was his beloved Son, the Chosen One (see Matt 3: 13-17). Returning to the place would have brought back many such memories, given rest to his soul, and fortified his resolve to walk the final leg of his earthly journey.
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In the Gospel text today, Jesus is again in controversy with the Jews, which in this case symbolically embody the disbelief of the world.
Christ responds to his aggressive opponents with two arguments. The first is a quote from Scripture (Ps 81:6), where all men are declared divine; therefore the verse can be applied to him as the only Son of God with greater reason. The second proof of his divinity is his works that could only come from the power of God. The Gospel reminds us again that only Christ the Lord is the center of our faith.
