26th March 2020
Thursday of the 4th week of Lent
‘I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.’
-St Paul
For today’s Gospel reading, click the link below
Mass Readings
Meditation: Do you know the joy of the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ – and a life freely submitted to the wisdom and knowledge of God’s word? Jesus’ opponents refused to accept his authority to speak and act in the name of God. And they refused to believe that he was sent from the Father in heaven. They demanded evidence for his claim to be equal with God. Jesus answers their charges with the supporting evidence of witnesses. The law of Moses had laid down the principle that the unsupported evidence of one person shall not prevail against a man for any crime or wrong in connection with any offence he committed (see Deuteronomy 17:6). At least two or three witnesses were needed.
Witnesses
to Jesus’ true identity
Jesus begins his defense by citing John the Baptist as a witness, since John
publicly pointed to Jesus as the Messiah and had repeatedly borne witness to
him (see John 1:19, 20, 26, 29, 35, 36). Jesus also asserts that a greater
witness to his identity and equality with God the Father are the signs and
miracles he performed. He cites his works, not to point to himself but to point
to the power of God the Father working in and through him. He cites God the
Father as his supreme witness.
Jesus asserts that the Scriptures themselves, including the first five books of Moses, point to him as the Messiah, the promised Savior. The problem with the scribes and Pharisees was that they did not believe what Moses had written. They desired the praise of their own people and since they were so focused on themselves, they became blind-sighted to God. They were so preoccupied with their own position as authorities and interpreters of the law that they became hardened and unable to understand the word of God. Their pride made them deaf to God’s voice.
God
reveals himself to the lowly of heart
Scripture tells us that God reveals himself to the lowly, to those who trust not
in themselves but in God alone. The lowly of heart listen to God’s word with an
eagerness to learn and to obey. The Lord Jesus reveals to us the very mind and
heart of God. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he opens our ears so that we
may hear his voice and he fills our hearts and minds with the love and
knowledge of God. Do you believe that God’s word has power to set you free from
sin and ignorance and to transform you to be like him?
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote:
“As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God. Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher, and it demands good students, not ones who play truant. In this school we learn something every day. We learn something from commandments, something from examples, and something from sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials for study.”
Are you an eager student of God’s word and do you listen to it with faith and obedience?
“Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may listen to your word attentively and obey it joyfully.”
A Daily Quote for Lent: Christ is our Master who teaches us, by Augustine of Hippo, 354- 430 A.D.
“There is a Master within Who teaches us. Christ is our Master, and his inspiration and his anointing teaches us. Where his inspiration and his anointing are lacking, it is in vain that words resound in our ears. As Paul the Apostle said: ‘I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.’ Therefore, whether we plant or whether we water by our words, we are nothing. It is God Who gives the increase; His anointing teaches you all things.” (excerpt from Sermon on 1 John 3,13)
copyright (c) 2020 Servants of the Word, source: www.dailyscripture.net, author Don Schwager