HIS LIFE IS NOT LIKE OTHER MEN'S
Death, of
course, is not the end for Jesus, but only His gateway to eternal life and
exaltation by His heavenly Father.
Far
from being a threat to people's safety, Jesus came to bring salvation and to
give Eternal Life, and yet the leaders of the people plotted to kill Him. They
felt that His death was necessary so He would not be in their way in order for
them to do what they wanted to do.
Perhaps
the real reason for their plot can be found in the words quoted in today's
first reading from the Book of Wisdom, "His life is not like other men's
and different are His ways," and, therefore, they thought, let us condemn
Him to a shameful death. Jesus was a living reproach to the leaders of His day
for all their self-serving and sinfulness. Death, of course, is not the end for
Jesus, but only His gateway to eternal life and exaltation by His heavenly
Father.
Christ
Jesus knew His mission. His purpose in life with us would entail sacrifice and
suffering which would put Him to death on a cross. His "hour" would
crush defeat with victory, and bring us all to freedom, and the glory of
everlasting life! His willingness to suffer was to redeem us from our own sins
and to restore our intimate relationship with God the Father.
As
we continue to journey in this Lenten season, may we persevere in prayer and
deepen our relationship to God, especially when we need to prepare ourselves
for times when we feel totally alone or troubled. There may or may not be
individuals who plot against us (as in the first reading and the life of
Jesus), but we must go forward to deal with sickness, divorce, old age, and so
on. There are always forces in human life that put us through suffering and
desolation at times. Like those who turned on Jesus, these forces sometimes put
us to the test to see if God really does take care of us, as we claim.
In
the responsorial psalm today, we praise God with the words, "We trust in
His love!"