The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to openness to prompts of the Spirit that we may initially assess through our limited understanding and experience.
The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel declares “they will be My people”
* [37:15–22] The symbolic action of joining two sticks into one continues Ezekiel’s description of God’s future saving action: the unification of Judah and Israel under an ideal ruler. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 37, n.d.)
The response from the Prophet Jeremiah declares the Lord has ransomed Jacob.
* [31:2–3] Jeremiah describes the exiles of the Northern Kingdom on their way home from the nations where the Assyrians had resettled them (722/721 B.C.). The favor they discover in the wilderness is the appearance of the Lord (v. 3) coming to guide them to Jerusalem. Implicit in these verses is the presentation of the people’s return from captivity as a second exodus, a unifying theme in Second Isaiah (chaps. 40–55). (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, the Pharisees plot to Kill Jesus.
* [11:48] The Romans will come: Johannine irony; this is precisely what happened after Jesus’ death.
* [11:49] That year: emphasizes the conjunction of the office and the year. Actually, Caiaphas was high priest A.D. 18–36. The Jews attributed a gift of prophecy, sometimes unconscious, to the high priest.
* [11:52] Dispersed children of God: perhaps the “other sheep” of Jn 10:16.
* [11:54] Ephraim is usually located about twelve miles northeast of Jerusalem, where the mountains descend into the Jordan valley.
* [11:55] Purify: prescriptions for purity were based on Ex 19:10–11, 15; Nm 9:6–14; 2 Chr 30:1–3, 15–18. (John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Molly Mattingly asks how have our Lenten practices brought us closer to reconciliation and unity in our most trying times and relationships?
Luckily, God does not say in today’s readings that it’s all on us to bring about unity. It’s something God intends to do. This, I think, is where the Pharisees get tripped up: like most of humanity before and since their time, they act as though it’s all on them. When they hear that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, they operate out of fear and scarcity rather than love and abundance. They could have said, “Life itself is within his gift! What wonders will happen if everyone believes in him!” But instead they worry, “What if everyone believe in him? Our people will lose everything. We must use any means necessary to save the land and the nation that God gave us.” (Mattingly, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “The crucifixion is always lived,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The crucifixion is something that must continue throughout our life, not for forty days only, although Moses, Elijah, and Christ fasted forty days. We are meant to learn from them not to cling to this present world or imitate what it says, but to nail our unregenerate selves to the cross." (excerpt from Sermon 205,1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 11:45-56 comments that Caiaphas felt he had no choice but to send this innocent man to his death. But were these the only two options? Surely there was a third way! Caiaphas had likely heard enough about Jesus to sense that God was working through him. So why not try listening to him to see if he truly was the Messiah?
Every day we face choices, both large and small. Should I give up my free time to serve my spouse? Will I look the other way when I see a stranger in need? Can I say no to resentment and seek to forgive? When choices like these arise, let’s ask Jesus for his guidance and wisdom. We never have to feel stuck. Jesus always has a third way—the way of love.
“Lord Jesus, give me your heart—a heart of wisdom and compassion!” (Meditation on John 11:45-56, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage from Ezekiel follows his prediction of the dry bones coming to life as he foresees the restoration of one Israel, under the Covenant worshipping in the reconstructed Temple. The proposal of Caiaphas that Jesus should die was to prevent a rebellion and a destruction of the Nation by Rome. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus died a spiritual death to free us from sin as we prepare for Holy Week and relive Jesus Passion.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Spiritual writer Christine Valters Paintner who suggests we might adopt the desert practice of asking for a “word”. Repeated often in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers … this tradition of asking for a word was a way of seeking something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes even a whole lifetime. The word was often a short phrase to nourish and challenge the receiver. The word was meant to be wrestled with and slowly grown into….
As you work through the wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, consider releasing your thinking mind and enter into a space of receiving. Imagine yourself in the story and ask for your own life-giving word. The word might be an insight from the text. It might come in that time of stillness or it might arrive later in the day in the form of a line of poetry, wisdom offered from an unexpected source, a dream symbol, or an image you stumble upon that seizes your imagination.
I often ask for a word as I take my daily walks. I listen for what the trees and pigeons might have to offer me. When I receive a word, often it is confirmed through synchronicities that continue to appear to me. The purpose of the word is to simply hold it in your heart, turning it over and over, pondering, but not analyzing it. Give it space within you to speak. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the political and religious environment that Jesus encountered in Jerusalem and seek a “word”, inspired by the Spirit, to carry during the representation of Jesus' Passion during Holy Week.
References
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 37. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/37?21
Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/31?10
John, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/11?45
Mattingly, M. (2025, April 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041225.html
Meditation on John 11:45-56. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/12/1245712/
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Wisdom of the Desert: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Took Counsel How to Put Him to Death. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 12, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr12
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