March 15, 2018
Theological College
Washington, DC
Exodus 32:7-14
Psalm 106:19-23
John 5:31-47
During this fourth week of Lent the Church’s lectionary shifts from offering us readings from the synoptic Gospels to offering us selections from the poetic Gospel of John during the latter part of Lent. The brilliance of the Lenten theme regarding the selection of texts for the daily Mass Gospel is measured in the first three and one half weeks by the Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving. Thus, in the Lectionary selections discerned by the Church for the Gospel passages, we read from the synoptic Gospels that are usually oriented toward one of these three Lenten pillars. These selections place their focus upon the call to ongoing conversion and metanoia manifested in our behavior with more intentional prayer, more temperate fasting, and more generous alms-giving.
Without bringing the internal forum into the external forum, I would venture to say that after these three and one half weeks my own attempts at fulfilling these Lenten pillars have led me to the frustrating position of being a candidate for membership in a self-help support group for recovering pelagians. In other words, none of us saves ourselves. So, the Lectionary shifts in the fourth week of Lent to a sustained meditation on the Gospel of John. Why?
Because—“in the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”—again, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This shift from the synoptic Gospels to the poetic Gospel of John moves us from simple reflection on the introduction to Jesus and the requirements of discipleship and imitation of Jesus towards being configured to Jesus Christ—the Word made flesh. As we see in today’s Gospel, this configuration incites an adversarial stance by those among whom the Word made flesh dwells—an adversarial stance taken by our weak and needy human condition prone to sin—lazy in prayer, intemperate in fasting, and stingy in alms-giving.
In our first reading from Exodus, Moses enters into a dialogue with God regarding the sinfulness of the Israelites and the just wrath of God. The fruit of the dialogue appears to be that God relents and changes His mind. Yet, in fact, more is going on here. The Lord God of Israel reveals that at the heart of the gift of His Ten Commandments is His loving and just mercy—justice and mercy united in His Divine nature. It is this mercy that prepares Moses for his own conversion and change of heart. Thus, it is after Moses receives the Commandments that Moses will proceed to shatter the Commandments because Israel has shattered the Commandments; this subsequently incites Moses to shatter the Commandments. The chaotic whirligig of sin frenzies human behavior with disorder and rage. Yet, it is in this prior dialogue between Moses and God that God reveals Himself to be relenting with mercy and it is Moses who can receive this mercy with conversion of heart for God has given Moses the warrants that Moses offers God for God’s own mercy. This free gift of God—this Grace—results in covenantal harmony; it is a covenantal harmony that is provisional until the coming of the Christ. Unlike Moses’ behavior, God’s mercy is not disordered and His justice is not violent with rage.
In the Gospel, the adversaries of Jesus show themselves to be adversaries of Moses for they even refuse to enter into the dialogue with Jesus. It is Jesus who freely offers them warrants for God’s mercy incarnate in Himself. These warrants include the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus’ own works and miracles, the voice of the Father, and the Scriptures. By refusing to enter into the dialogue with Jesus—unlike Moses who entered into the dialogue with God—they close themselves off from the possibility for change of heart and conversion. The adversaries of Christ abandon the Covenant and cannot be configured to the relentlessly relenting mercy of God—who is Jesus Himself—the Word made flesh Who dwells among them.
What about us—the People of God who are in the midst of Lenten formation and configuration to the Word made flesh Who dwells among us? What about us who are in formation—either initial or ongoing formation to serve God’s People—to be configured to Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd of the Church? Our Lenten conversion, corporate and individual, envelops our ongoing formation and configuration to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh to be configured to Him as Head and Shepherd of the Church. He offers us this merciful entrance into the Mystery of configuration at this time of evaluation in the seminary year. Enter honestly into the dialogue with the graciously given warrants of His mercy that He offers each and all of us. We cannot adequately be configured unless we enter into this dialogue with Christ by which He frees us from our adversarial stance of resistance to the relentlessly relenting mercy of God—incarnate in Jesus Christ.
