Encountering the Word
Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.†Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?†He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.  I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.†… “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.†As he was saying these things, many believed in him. [Full text: John 8:21-30]
Contemplating the Word
We find in this reading the ongoing conundrum facing those who experience Jesus: recognising who he is and yet still not having a clue. Before we get too complaisant, we need to acknowledge that the scribes and Pharisees are not the only ones who have this problem: so do we. The significance of who Jesus is can become muted in our lives, so that we end up relating to him as just a nice guy who lived a long time ago, and whose basic message was that we should be nice to one another. What a waste of time.
John challenges us to understand that in order for the reality of who Jesus is to impact on our lives, we need to go in search of him. We are not passive in this relationship, for if we allow ourselves to be passive, we will not find what we are looking for. You are to be active in your own faith-life.
This is where the Catholic understanding of faith is different to that espoused by some other Christian denominations. The Catholic stance is premised on a view of faith presented by St Paul and nuanced by St James. Paul talks about faith as ‘justifying us’ (Romans 3:28). The traditional divergence between Catholics and others on this text can be expressed by saying that most Protestant reformers interpret Paul as saying that it is ‘belief in Jesus Christ’ that saves a person. That is to say, it is a passive view of faith where the only thing that really matters is our acceptance of what Jesus does on our behalf.
However, Catholics also have access to the teaching of St James. He reminds us that faith in Jesus, if understood as simply what we believe, is not in itself enough. The faith that we hold must become incarnated in what we do (see James 2:14 and following). Understood correctly, James is not contradicting Paul. James is helping us see that when Paul writes of faith justifying us, Paul intends faith to be expressed in the reality of our lives. How do we know this? Not only because James writes of it, but because Paul himself lived that way. Paul was not content to stay at home and believe in Jesus. As somebody once said: Paul couldn’t find a donkey fast enough in his quest to get around the known world. His faith propelled him into action: faith and deeds together reveal the true quality of a person’s relationship with God in Christ – and it is that relationship that is salvific.
In further verification of the interpretation of faith presented above, we have the words of Jesus as presented in the Gospel according to Matthew. In that text Jesus tells us that not everyone who calls him Lord (i.e. believes in him) will enter the kingdom of heaven. That is reserved for those who do the will of his father in heaven (see Matthew 7:21). Faith and action have to go together.
This ups the stakes when it comes to the way we live our lives and enter into our baptismal vocation. Our lives are to proclaim our faith. Our values, attitudes and priorities are meant to provoke questions in the hearts of those we know and associate with. If no one can tell that we believe in Christ simply by looking at what we do, then what we believe will ultimately be of no use to us (or them) whatsoever.
Calling us all to be ‘teachers’ of the faith, Pope Francis reminds us that: “’We need to remember that all religious teaching ultimately has to be reflected in the teacher’s way of life, which awakens the assent of the heart by its nearness, love and witness.†(Evangelii Gaudium 42)
Spend a few minutes in prayer to the God who is as close to you as your breath. Ponder the reality of God’s presence and contemplate the thought that God has something for you – a plan that is as unique as you are. Don’t worry about what that plan is nor about what you are to do. Your role is simple: sit in God’s presence and wait for him.
Remain silently in God’s presence for as long as you feel inclined or opportunity will allow. Then bring before God any sincere prayers of intercession that you have. Instead of asking God to do things for you, ask that he might achieve whatever he wishes through you.
Finish by praying the great yet simple prayer of praise to the Blessed Trinity: Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
