16 MARCH 2024
SATURDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT
Jeremiah 11:18-20
Psalm 7
John 7:40-53
Brethren, at the end of our gospel reading today, the religious leaders say, ‘Prophets do not come out of Galilee’. Earlier, still in this gospel of John, Nathanael, had asked in doubt, ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Both the statement and the question above reveal a certain prejudice, a negative mindset relating to a particular place. There is another example of prejudice in the gospel reading. The religious authorities declare, ‘this rabble knows nothing about the Law – they are damned’. There is always a presumption here that those who have not had a certain kind of religious training are incapable of a sound judgement when it comes to the ways of God. It can often be very tempting to prejudge people on the basis of how they appear, where they live or where they come from. The opposite to prejudice or pre-judging is to suspend judgement on some people until sufficient evidence can be gathered that enables an informed judgement to be made. This is the attitude displayed by Nicodemus in the gospel reading. Although he was a Pharisee, a member of a group normally hostile and in opposition to Jesus, he was devoid of prejudice, declaring, ‘surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about’. The corrective to prejudice is to give people a hearing, to be open to the presence of truth and goodness in people that we might least expect it. Giving people a hearing with a view to really understanding who they are and where they are coming from can head off unnecessary conflict. Such unprejudiced listening is needed today in our society more than ever. As children of God and people of faith, we have to be open to the presence of God’s Spirit where we might not expect to find it, For the Spirit flows wherever he wills.
We see that the name Nicodemus and his personality features in this morning’s gospel reading. This is one of three times that he appears in the gospel of St. John. He appears for the first time at the very beginning of the gospel when he came to Jesus by night, drawn by Jesus and yet not quite ready to openly commit to him. He appears for the third time at the very end of the gospel in the company of Joseph of Arimathea, as, together, they arrange for Jesus to have a dignified and befitting burial. This morning’s gospel is the middle and second appearance of Nicodemus. He is a Pharisee and, yet, he has the courage to challenge his fellow Pharisees who have already made up their minds about Jesus, dismissing him because of his origins in Galilee, that remote region to the north, far from the centre, far from Jerusalem. Nicodemus insists that Jesus be given a hearing before coming to a judgement of condemnation about him. He breaks with his peers, expressing a view which goes against the dominant view of his fellow Pharisees. As it often happens to such people, his speaking up against the consensus meets with derision, he was asked: ‘Are you from Galilee too?’ His emerging relationship with Jesus left him increasingly isolated in the world where he had been so much at home. This also happens to us, we can lose friends, families as we get closer to Christ and bear witness to the truth, but this should not in any way deter us, rather, it should encourage us. The figure of Nicodemus reminds us that as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, there is often a price to be paid. We may find ourselves a lone voice among our peers. At such times, we know that the Lord is with us and we can say in the words of this morning’s responsorial psalm, ‘God is the shield that protects me’.
The Lord respects the uniqueness of each person’s faith journey. The Lord relates to each one of us differently, just as we each relate to him differently. Our response to the Lord’s call can be tentative at times, just as Nicodemus’ initial response was. Yet, the Lord continues to call us, and he is happy to wait until we are ready to take the next step in our relationship with him. In our relationship with God, He is always our Protector and Refuge. Jeremiah in our first reading and Jesus in our gospel reading are true examples of the fact that God des not abandon His own even in the face of hostilities and persecutions. Let us like Jeremiah and Jesus commit ourselves entirely to God.
-PadreCharlesLwanga.
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