3/16/2013 – Saturday of 4th week of Lent – John 7:40-53

        Today, we hear how about the different reactions people had to Jesus and his ministry.  Some believed he was a prophet, while others saw him as the Messiah. Still others believed that he was neither.  The officers who went to arrest him were completely bewildered and amazed: they had never heard anyone speaking as Jesus did.  The chief priests and Pharisees held Jesus in contempt.  And poor Nicodemus was too timid to follow his heart in defending Jesus. 

         Today's Gospel reminded me of an experience that I had one day at abortion clinic the first year I was a priest. I was asked to represent our diocese at a prayer service held in front of the abortion clinic on State Street on a Saturday morning.  There must have been over 100 people there.  I was out there in a Roman collar and dressed in my black clerics, so I was quite obviously identified as a priest.  What struck me, what saddened me, was how the police were hovering around us, shouting at us through microphones, and threatening to have our cars towed.  Here we were on a public sidewalk holding a peaceful prayer service on a quiet Saturday morning in Jackson.

         Since we live in a country that purports to be Christian and that stands up for freedom of speech, most of us think that we are safe to practice our faith.  However, there are times when we are called to take a stand for Jesus, even when the circumstances are uncomfortable or when it is not politically correct in our secular society to do so. Unfortunately, as the years go by, it seems like these incidents happen more and more frequently.   In our day, just as in Jesus' day, if we stand up for our faith, it may provoke mockery or unpopularity.  It may entail hardship for us.  However, our faith calls us to stand up for what we believe, to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel. 

         Through our Lenten journey, may we be ever aware of the Gospel of the Lord that brings us the Good News of Jesus Christ.  May we always be loyal to the Gospel, even where it calls us to bear our crosses.