To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Gospel Reflection for Thursday, April 3, 2025
Jesus himself is God’s witness. We see God, the inaccessible, the transcendent, the one no one knows, made transparent in Jesus. It’s Jesus’ works and words, his lifestyle, his way of relating to others, that show us what God is really like.
And there’s no better witness than Jesus. No other leaders, no other guides, no other captains. Anyone who tries to put themselves between Jesus and a person is just getting in the way. The problem is, it seems like we always need someone visible to look up to as our leader, someone who ends up getting in the middle and blocking Jesus out.
Just look at history. Right from the start, divisions arose among Christians themselves. Remember the text from the first letter to the Corinthians, where Paul says, ‘I’ve heard from Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you.
What I mean is that each of you says, «I follow Paul,» or «I follow Apollos,» or «I follow Cephas,» or «I follow Christ.» Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?’ (1 Corinthians 1:11-13). Those people had mistaken the finger pointing at the moon for the moon itself. Sure, Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were good messengers of Jesus. But they weren’t Jesus. They were just mediators. Their job was to announce Jesus and then step aside so their listeners could meet Jesus.
Throughout history, many other prophets have emerged who, perhaps unintentionally, have placed themselves in the middle. It’s a shame because that’s where so many divisions have come from in what should be a single family around Jesus, as brothers and sisters, sitting at the one table of the Father.
Lent is well underway, and it’s time to welcome Jesus’ message into our hearts. Surely there are people who have helped us encounter Jesus and the message of the Kingdom, but we mustn’t stop with them. We must reach Jesus and make his word and his life the central reference of our lives. Not like those Jewish people in the Gospel who were fixated on their rules and couldn’t go any further.