Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 11, 45-56
Many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him.
But some of them went to the Pharisees
and told them what Jesus had done.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees
convened the Sanhedrin and said,
“What are we going to do?
This man is performing many signs.
If we leave him alone, all will believe in him,
and the Romans will come
and take away both our land and our nation.”
But one of them, Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year, said to them,
“You know nothing,
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.”
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,
and not only for the nation,
but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.
So from that day on they planned to kill him.
So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews,
but he left for the region near the desert,
to a town called Ephraim,
and there he remained with his disciples.
Now the Passover of the Jews was near,
and many went up from the country to Jerusalem
before Passover to purify themselves.
They looked for Jesus and said to one another
as they were in the temple area, “What do you think?
That he will not come to the feast?”
They looked for Jesus
1. They are looking for him. Yes, they look for him, but to kill him, so that He’ll no longer be around. Many are also looking for your weak point to destroy you or bring you down. We often see this in the world of work, where there are people who suffer for the mere fact of doing the right thing. At home and in the parish, many people suffer because others want to displace them just because they want to take their place and show off. The same thing happened to Jesus.
2. Unity. Jesus dies to bring us together. But unity is not something we tend to look for. We must continue to work to be more fraternal among us, to establish a closer relationship with one another. We can’t get along like cats and dogs, and then beat our chests at Mass. No! Today let’s seek the unity of Christians, of God’s children. Enough of so many divisions, of looking for positions.
3. The desert. Faced with this situation, Jesus goes to the desert, to seek a low profile, and doesn’t appear until it’s time for him to do so. You and I must learn from this, we must learn to know when to appear and when to disappear. There are times when it’s necessary not to appear so much.We’re about to start Holy Week. Ask God for joy and peace in your heart. These are the two things we must resurrect, because many have lost them. God is at your side, do your part!Never forget that something good is on the way! God bless you and keep you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
