The WORD in other words (2010) by Frater Dante Barril SVD – Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay
Wednesday 4th Week of Lent
You really cannot blame the Jews for wanting to kill Jesus. I mean they are people who would not even mention the name of their God out of fear and reverence and here comes Jesus, someone from a remote village with a few rowdy, uneducated band of followers, teaching out in the streets and proclaiming himself to be the Son of God.
It was Jesus Himself who said that we should either be hot or cold, for if we are neither, that is, if we are lukewarm he would spit us out. (cf. Revelation 3,15-16) I think it is fine with Jesus if out of passion for what you believe you oppose him, for the grace of God works in a person who is full of passion. Here, Saint Paul comes to mind. He could not accept the teaching of Christianity and so he persecuted the Christians with all his might, but when grace caught him he burned with passion for Christ instead.
It would be good to ask ourselves, are we passionate for our faith? The Jews were. They may have misunderstood Jesus and all but you certainly can’t call them lukewarm. I have heard an old man said I was baptized catholic and I am going to die a catholic, but if you ask if he ever goes to church, he would say he does not see the need to do so. I chanced upon two high school students, one Muslim the other Catholic. The Muslim asked the Catholic what INRI in the cross means, the catholic without hesitation whatsoever answered, “Rest in Peace in Latin.”
Many of us are Catholics only in name. And many more of us do not really know our faith. Jesus once said “I have come to throw fire into the world…” (Luke 12,49) Let us pray that this fire burn the indifference, the timidity, and the laziness in us that like St. Paul we may be set a blazed for the faith.
