April 4: Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Unknown Illustrator of Jerome Nadal's 'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines', The Council Plots the Death of Jesus,1593

Gospel: John 11:45-57

So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs (NRSV, Jn 11:47).”

Let us pray.

Father, at every moment you call us forwarded to a greater understanding of your Word spoken once and for all as well as further growth in your divine life. How unfortunate for us in any situation that we conclude that we have arrived at final answers about you and our life in you. The only result for us can be arrogance that is ready to strike out at those around us.

Jesus is your very Word made flesh and yet many among us refused to accept him because his message did not fit the mold of what was expected and his preaching instead of being good news to summons us forwarded was understood as threat. The result was that we rejected Jesus by putting him to death, an ignominious death on the Cross. So caught up in our own understanding were we that we tried foolishly to banish your Word made flesh from this world.

But Jesus who from the beginning was resurrected life itself passed victorious through the death to which we condemned him and, risen from the grave, proclaimed the power of the resurrection, always available at every moment in history, in the lives of all who would repent and accept him in faith.

Father, may our spirits ever be open to a greater understanding of who you are and the life and destiny to which you call us. May we always be ready to cast off our prejudices and misjudgments, to be repentant of our sins, and accept greater understanding and life in the power of the Holy Spirit through your Word, impossible to banish in any way, always dwelling in us.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.