THURSDAY 5TH WEEK OF LENT READINGS AND COMMENTARY: “WHOEVER KEEPS MY WORD WILL NEVER SEE DEATH (v. 51)” (Jn 8:51-59).

READING I
Gen 17:3–9

When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: “My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you. I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.”
God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

Look to the Lord in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the Lord, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Jn 8:51-59

Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” So the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

Gospel Commentary

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives account of his co-existence with God the Father upon insisting that before Abraham came to be, I am.

He again applies to Himself God’s name and essence: I AM WHO AM, which He revealed to Moses (Ex 3:14), to reveal that He is God, and that He knows him and keeps His word.
Saint John thus reveals to us once again that Jesus is more than just a man: he is the incarnation of the true God of Israel. Hence Jesus can affirm with certainty that whoever keeps his word will not see death (cf. v. 51) and that before Abraham was born “he already is” (cf. v. 58).
The people listening to him are scandalized when Jesus claims that anyone who keeps his words will never die. They know that only God can make such a statement, and they accuse Jesus of being possessed by a demon. Even the greatest figures of the Chosen People had died, including Abraham and the prophets, and therefore they had no reason to believe that Jesus would suffer a different fate or that he could conquer death with his word.
When Jesus responds by appropriating to himself the divine words “I am,” they see no other option than to put into practice what the book of Leviticus commanded: “He who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him” (Lev 24:16). But Jesus knows that his time has not yet come and he eludes their grasp. See https://opusdei.org/en-us/gospel/2024-03-21/
Are we putting the means to adore God not only in word but in deeds? Do we strive get to know God more to love Him more? Are we beginning again daily to keep His word, without giving into discouragement due to our falls? Do we struggle daily to make Him happy by fulfilling His Will in the little things of each day?

Jesus also promises to us that only those who accept His teaching and remain faithful to it will never see death, and thereby eternal life.

To remain faithful to Our Lord not only demands a constant struggle for love of God against sin which is the death of the soul, of sanctifying grace and of divine life; it also requires fidelity in our union with Him, to His doctrine, and to the Church He founded, the Catholic Church.
May we learn how to please God in all our choices and actions. And if out of weakness we fail, let us have recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation with a humble and contrite heart, convinced that God will receive us with a big hug, contented with the return of His prodigal child.

Dear brethren in Christ, may we also get to know God the Father by knowing Jesus more for He is the true face of God the Father. We can do this by dealing with Him frequently through daily prayer, meditation of the Gospel, the frequent reception of the sacraments, and putting into practice His teaching. May we be firm in our faith in confessing the true identity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Perfect God and Perfect Man, 2nd Person of the Most Holy Trinity, one in Being with the Father, who loved us that He so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (Jn 3:16 NRSVCE).
May we never turn our backs from you, Lord, and grant us the grace to be lovingly faithful to you till death, for your honor and glory, and for the good of our soul.

A Blessed Thursday to all, Fr. Rolly Arjonillo

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