3/27/2015 – Friday of the 5th of week Lent – John 10:31-42

       In the Gospel of John, the crowd wants to stone Jesus; they want to kill him because they thought that Jesus spoke blasphemy, because he told them that he was God, not a man.  So often in John’s Gospel, the people misinterpret the words of Jesus, or they just can’t make that leap of faith in believing who he truly is. 

       Believing is a grace.  Believing is a gift from God.  I read an article by a Protestant minister from Chicago who expressed her frustration of having people approach her and telling her that although they consider themselves spiritual, they really don’t have any inclination to be associated with an organized religion, that it is not really for them.  I think that is a common attitude for many people to have in our modern world.  However, we can see in the Gospel how people many times either accepted Jesus or rejected him as a community.  The Bible also shows us how the disciples of Jesus and the early Church formed a community of faith that continued after the death and resurrection of Jesus, a community that grew and journeyed together.  And I am always so edified how we as members of the Church support each other and walk together as believers no matter what is going on in our journey, in both good times and in bad times.     
       We hear in the Gospel how many started to believe in Jesus when they came to him on the other side of the Jordan where John the Baptist was first baptizing people.  May we come to the Lord in our faith during these last days of Lent.  May we ask God to help us in our unbelief.