So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.”
We've been hearing about vortexes lately. Polar vortexes swept across North America and gave us an unusually cold winter despite our hotter planet.
When I meet Veterans with suicidal inclinations I remind them of the "vortex of depression" they have ignored. One might suffer depression for years and years as she goes around in idle circles of resentment, envy and anxiety. And then one day something happens that knocks her out of that senseless orbit and she falls suddenly into an irreversible eddy of despair. Suddenly the unthinkable becomes the only thought, and escape opportunities that were abundant seem to have disappeared.
As we approach Holy Week, our scriptures describe growing tension and the vortex of Good Friday. The Evangelists tell us his disciples and some Pharisee sympathizers warned him not to go to Jerusalem, and yet he persisted in that direction.
In today's gospel we hear the confusion his arrival causes. The populace rallies around him, the establishment opposes him and the guards, underpaid employees caught between the two groups, are confused. We also overhear the contempt of the chief priests and Pharisees for the faithful they should be shepherding, "...this crowd, which does not know the Law, is accursed." Clearly the establishment's interest is neither God's will nor God's mercy but maintaining power in a precarious situation.
We are approaching an apocalyptic moment when every human being must finally decide between good and evil; there will be no middle ground.
During Lent we should feel the tension of this season. Lent is like a good movie; although we have seen it before and we know how it ends, because the elements of this story are still too familiar today, we are swept up in the drama again. Human nature has not changed and the Roman Empire was not so long ago. The devil still roams like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Many are caught unawares. They did not realize they were choosing evil until they disappeared into its maw.
Our faith in the Resurrection assures us as we carry our daily crosses with Jesus.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.