Gospel: March 16, 2024

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

(Saturday)

4th Week of Lent

Psalter: Week 4 / (Violet)

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 7: 2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.

1st Reading: Jeremiah 11: 18-20

Gospel: John 7: 40-53

Many who had been listening to these words began to say, “This is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some wondered, “Would the Christ come from Galilee? Doesn’t Scripture say that the Christ is a descendant of David and from Bethlehem, the city of David?” The crowd was divided over him. Some wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

The officers of the temple went back to the chief priests, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man.” The Pharisees then said, “So you, too, have been led astray! Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in him? Only these cursed people, who have no knowledge of the law!”

Yet one of them, Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier, spoke out, “Does our law condemn people without first hearing them and knowing the facts?” They replied, “Do you, too, come from Galilee? Look it up and see for yourself that no prophet is to come from Galilee.” And they all went home.

Reflection:“To know Jesus.”

In today’s Gospel, many of those who were listening to Jesus were confused, remaining ignorant of Jesus’ true identity. In their ignorance, they even quoted the Scripture. They thought that since Jesus was identified as a Galilean, he could not be the Christ since the Christ, according to their reading of the Scripture, must come from the line and city of David. In their ignorance, they concluded that Jesus could not be the Messiah since he was known to be a Galilean. In our journey of faith, there are times when we think we already know the Lord but in reality, we are the ones who need to grow more in our knowledge of Jesus. There is a need to continue studying the Bible not only on our own but with the community as well. The challenge is to grow together in our knowledge of God. Lent highlights not merely an individualized journey of faith but of communal one, too. Hence, we need to reach out to one another.