Holding On To Our Faith Is As Critical As Ever

There are times when a mere phrase or sentence from Scripture will jump out at me and allow for some fruitful examination.  In the Gospel on March 16, one such sentence did so.  It is from the Gospel of John (8:41-42) … “[So] they said to him, ‘We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.’”  This comes from one of the Jews many interactions with Jesus, and it comes as an attempted slap in the face. 

Jesus is teaching the people about sin, the freedom from such sin and about the Father.  They continuously attempt to trip him up with their remarks until they speak the above statement.

On the very face of it, it is a feeble attempt to shut Jesus down when they have no other responses to offer his teaching.  It is a classic case of attacking their opponent personally when they have no more substance to offer.  We see it in our politics and society quite often.

I can imagine the sneer on the face of the one who spoke it and the laughter or snickering in the crowd.  It is a throwback to 33 years earlier when Mary concieved before she and Joseph were wed, and so we get a glimpse into the social orders of the time.

It would seem that this remark was meant to stifle Jesus’ teaching authority, belittle him and to generally put him back in his place.  It makes me wonder how Jesus, Mary and Joseph were treated during their lives and if this remark is an example of what had been uttered about them through the years.

For me, it speaks not only to the harshness of the crowds that Jesus encountered from time to time but also to the strength of the Holy Family’s faith in God, each one playing out their role in salvation history no matter what the consequences.

It also gives me the clarity of point to fix my moral compass straight on this path toward Christ no matter what others might say about me.  It is no shadow in the closet that Christianity continues to have its oppressors across the globe and so it is as critical now as it ever has been to hold fast to our Catholic faith, no matter the odds pressed against us.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, none of us is perfect; and I count myself as the least among you.  Yet, when reconciled to God and filled with Christ, we pick ourselves up from the brackish waters of our humanity and continue on our common journey to spread the Gospel and Good News of our Lord.