First Reading (Wisdom 2,1a.12-22)
Reading of the Book of Wisdom.
The wicked say among themselves, in their false reasoning: “Let us lie in wait for the righteous, because his presence bothers us: he opposes our way of acting, he rebukes us for transgressions of the law and reproaches us for our faults against our discipline. He claims to possess the knowledge of God and calls himself ‘son of God’. He has become a censorship of our thoughts and just the sight of him is unbearable for us; his life is very different from that of others, and his ways are immutable. We are compared by him to counterfeit money and he flees from our ways as from impurities; he happily proclaims the final fate of the righteous and boasts of having God as his father. Let us see, then, if what he says is true, and let us see what will happen to him, so that God will defend him and deliver him from the hands of his enemies. see his serenity and prove his patience; we will condemn him to a shameful death, because, according to his words, someone will come to his aid.” Such are the thoughts of the wicked, but they deceive themselves; for malice makes them blind, they do not know the secrets of God, they do not expect a reward for holiness and they do not value the prize reserved for pure lives.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (John 7,1-2.10.25-30)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, Jesus was traveling through Galilee. He avoided traveling through Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. Meanwhile, the Jewish festival of Tendas was approaching. When his brothers had already gone up, he also went up to the party, not publicly but, as if in secret. Some inhabitants of Jerusalem then said: “Isn’t this the one they are trying to kill? See, he is speaking in public and nothing is being said to him. Have the authorities actually recognized that he is the Messiah? But this one, we know where he is from. The Christ, when he comes, no one will know where he is from.” In a loud voice, Jesus taught in the Temple, saying: “You know me and where I am from; I did not come on my own, but he who sent me is trustworthy. You do not know him, but I know him, because I come from him, and he was the one who sent me.” So they wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Have you ever noticed how, on a sunny day, when the light shines brightly, darker shadows also form? The stronger the light, the more defined the shadows that are cast around you. This image of light and shadow, of contrast and opposition, deeply permeates the readings we contemplate together today.
In the first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, we find disturbing words that seem to predict, centuries in advance, the hostility that Jesus would face: “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because his presence bothers us: he opposes our way of acting.” These words could easily have come from the mouths of Jesus’ adversaries. In fact, when I hear them, I can almost visualize the Pharisees and scribes, conspiring in the dark corners of Jerusalem, plotting how to silence the one who challenged them with their merciless light.
What is fascinating – and deeply disturbing – is that these conspirators recognize the justice and kindness of their victim. They admit: “He declares himself possessed of the knowledge of God and proclaims himself the son of God… and boasts that he has God for his father.” It’s not that they don’t see the truth; it’s that the truth bothers them, challenges them, exposes their own darkness.
And why is the righteous so threatening to them? The text gives us the answer with cruel clarity: “He has become a censorship of our own ideas; just seeing him makes us feel bored, because his life is different from that of others, and his paths are completely different.” Holiness has this effect: it illuminates by contrast the shadows in our own lives. When we are comfortable in our moral mediocrity, the presence of someone truly righteous makes us uncomfortable—not because that person explicitly judges us, but because their mere existence becomes a mirror reflecting our own failings.
This dynamic unfolds vividly in the Gospel of John. Jesus goes secretly to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles – one of the three great annual pilgrimages that bring Jews from everywhere to Jerusalem. It is a festival of joy and gratitude, celebrating God’s protection during the years of desert wandering after the Exodus. There are processions with palm branches, construction of temporary huts, and daily water and light rituals. It is amidst this festive scene that Jesus appears – discreetly at first, but soon teaching openly in the temple.
The reaction of people in Jerusalem is fascinating. “Isn’t this the one they are trying to kill? He is speaking in public and nothing is being said to him. Have the authorities recognized that he is in fact the Christ?” We can feel the confusion, the tension, the whispered questions among the crowd. They know there is a plot against Jesus – it’s no secret. And yet, here he is, openly teaching. This confuses them.
And then we hear an objection that has echoed through the centuries: “We know where he comes from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.” It’s a fascinating objection, based on a partial understanding of scripture. There were certainly prophecies about the Messiah appearing mysteriously, but there were also clear prophecies about his birth in Bethlehem, from the line of David. The irony is that they didn’t actually know where Jesus really came from – not in a deeper sense.
Jesus responds to this objection with a powerful statement: “You know me and where I am from; I did not come on my own, but he who sent me is trustworthy, and you do not know him. I know him, because I come from him, and it is he who sent me.”
Here is the crux of the matter – and the parallel with the Book of Wisdom is striking. Jesus is affirming exactly what the wicked could not bear in the righteous: that he knows God intimately, that he comes from God, that he has God as his father. And this statement further inflames the opposition, to the point that they tried to arrest him, although without success, because “his time had not yet come.”
What do these readings have to tell us today? Very much, my brothers and sisters. We live in times when light and darkness continue to conflict, when truth and lies compete for our minds and hearts.
First, these readings invite us to honest reflection: How do we respond when the light of Christ illuminates the shadow areas in our own lives? Are we like those described in the Book of Wisdom, troubled and irritated, looking for ways to extinguish this light? Or do we allow it to transform us, even when the process is painful?
St. Augustine once said, “If you don’t want to be corrected, it’s because you don’t want to be loved.” Correction—whether it comes directly from God’s Word, from the example of others, or from the teachings of the Church—is an act of love, not condemnation. It is an invitation to transformation, to a fuller life.
Second, these readings alert us to an uncomfortable reality: truly following Christ will, at some point, put us at odds with the world. Jesus was so clear about this: “If the world hates you, know that it first hated me.” The disciple is not above the master. If Jesus faced opposition, so will we.
This does not mean that we should seek conflict or delight in being “persecuted.” This is not a victim mentality or a spiritual arrogance that says, “I am hated because I am holy.” But it does mean that we must be prepared for the fact that living Kingdom values—justice, mercy, purity, truth—will inevitably put us in tension with a culture that often values the opposite.
Third, these readings comfort us with the assurance that God is in control, even when it appears that the forces of darkness are winning. Jesus knew that “his hour had not yet come” – there was a divine plan afoot. Human plots, however powerful they seemed, were ultimately subordinate to God’s redemptive purpose.
In Lent, the period when these readings are often proclaimed, we are particularly invited to contemplate how the forces of darkness seemed to triumph on the cross – only to discover that their apparent victory was, in reality, their ultimate defeat. The wisdom of the world is confused by the wisdom of God, who transforms the instruments of death into sources of life.
Finally, these readings challenge us to examine our own relationship with God. Jesus said, “You do not know him. I know him, because I come from him.” Do we truly know God, or do we just know things about Him? Do we have an intimate and personal relationship with the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit? Or is our religion mainly a matter of external traditions, obligations and appearances?
The Book of Wisdom warns us about the wicked who “have not known the secrets of God.” And Paul reminds us that “the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.” True knowledge of God goes beyond intellectual information; it is a communion of love, a participation in divine life.
My beloved brothers and sisters, as we reflect on these readings, let us ask for the grace to welcome the light of Christ into our lives, even when it exposes our areas of darkness. Let us ask for the courage to live as children of the light, even when this puts us in tension with the world around us. Let us trust in the divine plan that unfolds in our lives, even when we do not fully understand it. And let us seek to know God not just with our minds, but with our entire being.
Like Jesus, may we truly say, “I know him, because I come from him.” And may this intimacy with the Father be the source of our strength, our joy and our hope, now and always. Amen.
