Reading and meditation on the Word of God, Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent, March 26, 2020

WORKS TESTIFY ABOUT US

Our meditation today has the theme: Works Testify About Us. Jesus Christ again gave a strong response to the protests and accusations of His opponents, the Pharisees and the scribes. A big and strong opposition to Jesus seemed increasingly dangerous. This is a form of anticipation for the peak experience of suffering that will come soon, namely Jesus's severe punishment and His death on the cross that we celebrate on the Good Friday.

Today's gospel shows the rejection that Jesus had to face. His enemies did not accept that He truly came from God. They strongly did not acknowledge and accept that Jesus was sent by the Father in heaven. But Jesus emphasized that the proof of God's power truly exists in Him through the works He did. His works were well known: healing of the sick, bringing the dead into life, feeding the hungry and thirsty, driving out the evil spirits, and comforting the sorrowfull ones. All of these are facts of God's work that simply cannot be denied.

Jesus challenged His enemies to open their views and understandings, and not just follow a narrow-minded perception. If they rejected Himself simply as a human person, they must at least be objective to acknowledge His works. These works testified who trully Himself is and at the same time recognizing the Father who is the source of works. If they could accept and acknowledge His works and their results as well, they implicitly would accept and recognize who was behind those works. It turned out that both Jesus as the person and His works were not accepted and acknowledged. So their sins were truly grave.

This analogy can help us to ponder about the works that testify us as the ones who are the subject of those works. For example, the lifestyle of some people shows that they really hate simple and hard-working people like farmers, fishermen, or shepherds. Yet every day the haters and their families eat rice, vegetables, fish, and meat which are actually the fruits of the work of the people they hate. So they actually deny themselves and those who are helping out them in many ways for their sustenance in life.

Whatever work and its result really represent who we really are. Our self-reflection whether we are generous or not, we are humble or not, we have faith or not, appears to be seen in public through our works and their results. Work and its result speak about the one who does the work. Everyone show all of these, so that people around him may also experience his work and the fruits of his work. And the basic requirement we need to follow is that we need to accept and acknowledge each other through the works we do and the results of these works.

Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... Almighty and everliving God, thank you for your blessings we receive today that allow us to work according to our respective vocations and professions. Bless also the the fruits of our works. Glory to the Father ... In the name of the Father ...