Tradition and Truth

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to approach the tension between tradition and truth with the inspiration of Jesus teaching.

Faith and Tradition

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah presents the Plot Against Jeremiah.

j. [11:19] Jer 18:18; 20:10; Wis 2:20.

k. [11:20] Jer 15:15. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 7 expresses hope for the just God’s protection.

* [Psalm 7] An individual lament. The psalmist flees to God’s presence in the sanctuary for justice and protection (Ps 7:2–3) and takes an oath that only the innocent can swear (Ps 7:4–6). The innocent psalmist can thus hope for the just God’s protection (Ps 7:7–14) and be confident that the actions of the wicked will come back upon their own heads (Ps 7:15–17). The justice of God leads the psalmist to praise (Ps 7:18). (Psalms, PSALM 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents discussion about the Origins of the Messiah.

* [7:40–53] Discussion of the Davidic lineage of the Messiah. (John, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that Nicodemus steps forward with hesitant courage. He does not claim to have all the answers, nor does he openly identify as a follower of Jesus. However, he dares to voice a question, to challenge the easy certainty of the Pharisees, he asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him?” Nicodemus reminds us that the journey of faith often begins with a question and that it takes courage to ask questions with humility and seek truth, even when it is easier to remain silent or go along with the crowd. We, too, like the crowd, often resist truths that challenge us—or reject those we deem “unlikely” messengers of God’s grace—someone who does not look the part, does not speak with familiar words, or does not belong to the right group. We might even find ourselves categorizing them as a “threat” rather than an “invitation.” Lent asks us to confront the stubbornness within us. Are there ways we confine God to our expectations? Do we, like the Pharisees, dismiss Christ’s presence in people or situations that seem too ordinary, inconvenient, or uncomfortable?

Both passages underscore how fear—unchecked, unexamined, and unresolved—can distort collective judgment, leading not only to the misjudgment of truth, but also to the unjust treatment of individuals who embody it. Fear is only one voice in the conversation. It need not be the final word. So, where in your life is fear holding too much sway? Whom are we too afraid to defend because it disrupts our comfort? What and whom do we dismiss too quickly?

God of justice, when our fears and preconceived notions blind us to how you move in unexpected ways, please help us to choose faith, to discern, to pause, and listen, trusting that you always see the full picture when we cannot. We entrust our cause back to you, Lord. (Amu, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes  “Not by walking but by loving,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"We approach God not by walking but by loving. The purer our love for him toward whom we are striving, the more present to us will he be. To him, therefore, who is everywhere present and everywhere whole, we must proceed not by our feet but by our moral virtues - judged not by the object of our knowledge but by the object of our love." (excerpt from Letter 155,13) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Jeremiah spoke about the sinfulness of Jerusalem that was punished by the Babylonians. The people of Jerusalem plotted against the Prophet. Vengeance to Jeremiah was to assert that the ways of God have to be respected. In John’s Gospel people are confused by Jesus. How could the Messiah come from Galilee, a mixed, impure population? This origin was distasteful to the Jews who did not realize Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David. The guards refuse to arrest Him after hearing his speech. Nicodemus visits Jesus by night. He half defends him to the authorities. The third time, he steps forward to bury a condemned criminal. Friar Jude reminds us about the growth in his faith. Our faith life has to grow with time.

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 7:40-53 comments that of course, it’s normal to be upset by the injustice in the world. In fact, we should be upset by it! And it’s normal to listen respectfully to those around us who may be skeptical or even cynical. But at the end of the day, we have to listen even more closely to the words of Jesus and let them change us—just as the Temple guards did.

I

t’s supremely human to doubt ourselves. It’s normal to question our experiences, especially when we are confronted with someone else’s strong, overpowering opinions. But amid our doubts and despite the noise from everyone else’s thoughts, opinions, and expectations, we need to remember that Jesus can speak to our hearts in ways that no one else can. His power, compassion, and love for us will never change. And his words, planted in the depth of our hearts, can bring us to life in ways that no other words can.

“Jesus, thank you for your truths, which always bring life to my heart!” (Meditation on John 7:40-53, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces public theologian Rachel Held Evans (1981–2019) who honors her own parents’ commitment to her well-being and inclusion, despite differences in faith and practice:

When I hear these stories, I empathize, but I can’t relate. Because my parents have been wonderful. We don’t always agree on theology or politics … but my parents have always prioritized maintaining our relationship over maintaining ideological uniformity….

They were, and are, proud of me…. When I blustered, and fulminated, and foolishly rocked the boat for the sake of rocking it, they refused to treat me as a problem or an embarrassment or something to fear. They loved me unconditionally.

I’m pretty sure their response helped preserve my faith. I’m certain it preserved our relationship….

One of the most destructive mistakes we Christians make is to prioritize shared beliefs over shared relationship, which is deeply ironic considering we worship a God who would rather die than lose relationship with us….

God does not demand that we all agree. God only asks that we love one another well. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we practice our religious tradition ever mindful of the glass darkly through which our human existence often encounters truth and Providence.

References

Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-21-2026 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/11?18 

John, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/7?40 

Meditation on John 7:40-53. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/21/1522268/ 

Psalms, PSALM 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/7?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Subverting the Honor-and-Shame System: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/subverting-the-honor-and-shame-system-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Reaction to Jesus' Words. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 21, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Restoration and Rebellion

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. 

Life in Restoration

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