These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him. (Jn 12:1-11)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/033026.cfm
The plot to kill Lazarus surprises, but it really shouldn’t. The powers that be are always threatened by a radical love for the poor, the hungry, the outcast. The wondrous love that Jesus offers frees us to work for a world where the poor have the seats of honor, the rich are sent empty away, where the lowly are raised up, the imprisoned walk free, and everyone knows their dignity as children of God. https://youtu.be/eBtaO_kGrBs?si=7IwkWcxr-sZcwnCq
Thus was innocent blood spared that day. (Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62)
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” (Jn 8:1-11)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032326.cfm
In the story of Susanna God saves the innocent. In the gospel story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus saves the guilty. The good news of Lent is that all, innocent and guilty, are saved! https://youtu.be/JbQUA6HVQl8?si=lOPZXSYDSHi2Ukfc
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” (Jn 11:1-45)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032226.cfm
The one you love is ill. It is most likely that Lazarus is the Beloved Disciple. The figure of the Beloved Disciple in the Fourth Gospel reminds us that we are all Beloved Disciples and nothing will ever separate us from our Master, not sickness nor even death itself. https://youtu.be/gADDeVUH4uc?si=LYMmLPmoNHKlTudN
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, "This is truly the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. (Jn 7:40-53)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032126.cfm
Where Jesus was born, Bethlehem or Nazareth in Galilee, is immaterial. Jesus is “from above” as the Man Born Blind testifies. And the Fourth Gospel adds, “But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God” (Jn 1:12-13). Today's photo is from our 2022 visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazaret. https://youtu.be/jYwtqOV5rj0?si=NoyxLckBqTomsWUu
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 34)
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032026.cfm
As the church teaches us, violence and war is never the answer to human problems. With the current war many innocent people are suffering. Scripture tells us that God is near to the brokenhearted. Maybe those who cause the violence had better pay attention. Today's picture is of the Peace Angel I made from pieces of broken pottery at the Yoko Ono NO WAR Exhibition at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, in 2024.
