The Plight of the Just

Homily for Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent

In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear the thoughts of the wicked. They are threatened by the just one who points out their transgressions. Rather than change, the wicked speak of plans to do away with the threat. They decide to silence the voice that calls them to repentance. They question his relationship with the Lord and plot diabolical tortures. They condemn the just one to death simply to see if God will take care of him. They are blinded by their wickedness, their pride, and their hard- heartedness.

This plot is proleptic of the plot that develops in the Gospel against Jesus. As Jesus is teaching in the temple, the crowd questions if he is the Messiah. He knows the thoughts of the wicked and tells them that he is sent by the one “whom you do not know.”

While we know that we are all sinners, it is one thing to admit it and entirely another thing to die to the sin of which we are guilty. Like the wicked people in the first reading, we would rather silence the voice that calls us to repentance. Like them, we are often blinded to our own sin by pride.

God was revealed to the children of Israel in their escape from bondage. God has been revealed to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who died so that we could escape the bondage of sin.

There are only two weeks left on our Lenten journey, but those two weeks can be a powerful period of spiritual transformation. Recognizing our shortcomings, we can take the next step to repentance and seek forgiveness for our sins. As we walk this Lenten journey, let us walk more closely with the Lord.