Gospel: John 7: 40-53
In today's Gospel portion we find religious leaders who are convinced of the identity and origins of Jesus. Without ever speaking with him, they have determined through hearsay and their knowledge of the law and scriptures who Jesus is and who he is not. They make a determination and decree, ending all conversation and debate on the matter. When shown that their methods are in contradiction to the law they claim to uphold, they resort to name calling and condemnation.
If all of this sounds familiar and reminiscent of Christian behavior throughout the ages, it is because this phenomenon occurs when we institutionalize religion, when we attempt to take a fundamental experience of God and place it in a box, seeking to control it. We seek certitude in the very thing that cannot be circumscribed and understood - the very mystery of God. Our inability to sit with the mystery leads us to insecurity, false certitude, and violence against anyone who does not agree with us.
Instead of making sand castles of false certitudes this Lent, let us just sit at the seashore and contemplate the vastness of the ocean, the infinite grains of sand, and recognize that here in this scene is the mystery of God that dwells among us. Rather than seeking to shape the sand into our own image and likeness, let us just let it be and allow ourselves to be absorbed into the mystery of the Lord, and to let that mystery transform and shape us.
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