Gospel Reflection For The 24th day of April in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
John 12:44-50
44 But Jesus cried, and said: He that believeth in me, doth not believe in me, but in him that sent me. 45 And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me.
46 I am come a light into the world; that whosoever believeth in me, may not remain in darkness. 47 And if any man hear my words, and keep them not, I do not judge him: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He that despiseth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father who sent me, he gave me commandment what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting. The things therefore that I speak, even as the Father said unto me, so do I speak.
In the Gospels, Jesus does not often, “cry out.” In fact, He usually seems to speak quietly and often in veiled language. Today, He reveals Himself as the Light of the World. Just as it is said that one should not hide his light under a basket, in this revelation, our Lord proclaimed plainly His divinity for all to hear.
Today’s Psalm states, “May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us… May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him!” Today’s first reading is about God consecrating Saul and Barnabas to preach to the Jews, while the Church was spreading Christianity throughout the nations of the Gentiles. Although it would take some 300 years for Rome to officially adopt and champion Christianity throughout its empire, it is amazing just how fast the Gospel did spread throughout the known world at the time. To put it in perspective, for some 10,000 years prior each nation or tribe had its own religion and conversion generally only came about when one nation conquered another or a foreigner adopted the religion of his new home. Within a comparative blink of an eye, Christianity had spread throughout the Middle East, well into “near” Asia and the Mediterranean. Soon the Holy Roman Empire would Christianize all of Europe. A good bit of north Africa would become Christian, but Islam would rise and claim much territory there and east of Roman influenced lands through conversion by the sword.
This was the power of God’s words in today’s reading, that he had “come to save the world.” But, like those once Christian lands that fell under the error of Islam, this teaching is conditional on the grounds that we must accept it and the other teachings of God and His Church – salvation may certainly be lost! “And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.”
Each of us, this very day, may hear God’s word through the Bible and the Church and either accept it or reject it. Or, we may believe it and gradually drift away into error. God’s Word is eternal, unchanging. We who hears and believe must be changed by His Word, or we will be judged by His Word. Many in our era seek to minimize judgment in regard to sin and error. Jesus never did and never will. Mercy and license are by no means the same.
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.