We may have heard of the presence of the roaming spirits
here in this world and the frightening experience of people who claimed to have
encountered such presence. Usually people who engage in the occult practices
are the ones mostly susceptible to this type of phenomenon. It would be best
not to justify their presence by not thinking of them much more involving
ourselves to such activities and staying clear of these practices. It is very
relevant in maintaining a good relationship with God and so in line with what
is being suggested in today's 1st reading. We have to realize the importance of
being focused on just God alone and avoid entertaining thoughts about the supernatural
and superstition. What was it that Jesus has done that many came to believe in
Him? He raised Lazarus from death and this was when they started to plan to
kill him. More and more people are following Jesus, they can’t control Him
anymore. The Sadducees unlike the Pharisees were very political. They make sure
that their relationship with the Romans are safe so that they do not lose their
power, land and nation. This is what the human heart wounded by sin, is capable
of doing. We see a mighty deed and yet it results to what we’re going to
reflect this Good Friday, the sin of killing God. This is what happened so that
we would not perish. There’s an irony here because Caiaphas said something not
on his own but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus
was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to
gather into one the dispersed children of God. This concern about losing their
land and nation to the Romans is connected to the 1st reading about
the land and nation being spoken of. It is to unite and bring back the people
that have been divided and scattered. This is the history of the Old Testament.
It is about the division and the split of the northern and southern kingdoms.
Some were faithful and unfaithful. God wants to deliver them from apostasy and
idolatry that they imitated from the other nations. God gave them a land and a
king and they were not to be overcome by the Assyrians but because of their sin
of shedding the blood of the innocent they were swept away by the Babylonians.
This reading according to Ezekiel is something that would happen in the future.
At that time, listening to a prophecy like it is difficult to understand but we
see its fulfillment in the gospel today. This is also connected to the promise
to David and in conjunction with Caiaphas prophecy of gathering the nation into
one. It is also talking about us. Nowadays, we see our nation dispersed by all
kinds of indignity, violence by various forms of jealousies and rivalries,
tensions and selfishness. Just like what Paul says in the scripture, I know the
good I ought to do but can’t do it. We are torn among ourselves and we can be
whole through the wound of the cross. This coming Friday we are invited to
venerate the cross. Meditate on the body and blood of Jesus given up for us. He
is King of kings and Lord of lords. He has something to say about what kind of
nation we’re supposed to be. He gathers the dispersed nation of God. We pray
especially this coming week that the things that divide us will be healed. It
is a good thing to pray for especially on those days. We pray for the unity of
all Christians and for the church to come together to intervene for the rights
of the oppressed, the poor and the helpless not only in the physical sense. It
is important that we realize that unity doesn’t mean pretending that there are
no differences among us but it is more of looking at our brothers and sisters
as co disciples of Christ. We join hands and hearts to proclaim the truth that
God so loved the world that He died for us, arose from the dead and He is
coming back. We focus on the affirmations that we can strongly and consistently
proclaim and seek opportunities to affirm the faith that we share in common. It
is not pushing aside or pretending that the differences we have are not there
but work together as dispersed children
of God to bring us all into that unity and life. Amen. Hallelujah!
Ezekiel 37:21-28
21 Thus says the Lord GOD: I will take the children of
We can always take courage in the fact that we have a Loving
Father who is like a Good Shepherd. He will surely lead us to the right path.
There are significant events in our life that we can associate with certain
major decisions we made and can never forget. In everything let us always lift
it to God in prayer. The place where we
are right now is exactly where God wants us to be. If God brings us here then
He will bring us through it. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being
allowed to happen to us in our life at this precise moment. God's purpose for
us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by
living what we are living and by being in the place where we are now. That's
God, He passes us through a lot of things for us to see His glory. It is a
consolation to know that we can always count on God’s loving care and
protection just as stated in today’s psalm reading. It can really make our
hearts swell with joy and pride knowing that the Lord guards us as a shepherd
guards his flock. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L MJeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13
R: The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered
We become instruments of God for others knowingly or
unknowingly. God uses us to profess His words to others in the same way that
Caiaphas in today's gospel prophesied about the death of Jesus to serve as a
ransom for many. There are times when we encounter people and situations that
are related to the main message of the readings for a particular day. It is
like getting confirmations that are undeniably orchestrated by a higher power
capable of making things fall into place. No one or nothing can get in the way
of God's plan. People, things, events and situations move in such a way to
carry out the good God has intended for all of us. It is a consolation to know
that despite of the imperfections and unpleasant things we are confronted with
in this world, we are assured that God can make all things bright and
beautiful. It is very undeniable that each day God is moving in power with
tremendous signs, wonders and miracles. His Spirit moves in us and conveys a
uniform message of love but it is us, sometimes who taints the purity and
distorts the clear message of God when we resort to the negative attitude that
is so evident in some of the Jews in today's gospel. Let us not end up in that
part of statistics that Jesus offered His Saving grace but failed to respond
properly and perished but instead belong and be counted as the children of God,
saved and redeemed. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 11:45-56
45 Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus
had done began to believe in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and
told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees
convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is
performing many signs. 48 If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and
the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” 49 But one of
them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing,
50 nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die
instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” 51 He did not
say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied
that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not only for the nation, but
also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. 53 So from that day on
they planned to kill him.
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