The old testament reading from the book of Wisdom is a precursor to the gospel reading today. What this means is that the old testament scriptures are fulfilled in the new testament. Jesus Christ came into the world, in fulfillment of the scriptures. We say these words in the Nicene Creed during mass: “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
The entire reading from the book of Wisdom today is about Jesus Christ. Isn’t it amazing that these words were written two centuries before the birth of Christ? These verses in scripture perfectly describe our Lord’s life and his death by the Jewish people. They give us some intimate clues, as to the mentality of the Jewish people who demanded Christ’s life.
Hopefully, you will also see yourself in these words from the book of Wisdom too. Jesus told us we must pick up our cross and follow him. At this point in your life do you think others could say some of these things about you too?
- He sets himself against our doings.
- Reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.
- He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the Lord.
- His life is not like that of others and different are his ways.
- He calls blest the destiny of the just and boasts that God is His Father.
If other people can say some of these things about you, then you are on the right track. If not, well, this is what Lent is for! We should model our lives on the life of Jesus Christ. If you ever have a doubt about the right thing to do, or how to handle something, or even how to act, look to the greatest teacher mankind has ever known and you will not go wrong. He is the moral guide for our lives and if we look to Him for guidance and follow the example of His life, we can not err.
Our Lord’s words in the gospel today are filled with the Holy Spirit. At first, he did not want anyone to know he went to the feast of the Tabernacles and he went to Jerusalem in secret. However, something must have happened, because he began to speak openly once he got there. How could he be silent, when he came to testify to the truth? The truth is that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God, and this truth can not be silenced.
This is something we need to remember as well, to not silence the truth within us when we are around other people who do not believe the same way we do. The truth isn’t a secret. Jesus isn’t a beautiful secret that we keep to ourselves. He came to give life to the whole world, but we need to allow him to do that, by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead our words and actions, but most especially to guide our lives according to our Father’s holy will.
