Are You With Jesus?

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐉𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏:𝟏𝟖-𝟐𝟎

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟕:𝟐-𝟑, 𝟗-𝟏𝟐 “𝐎 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐦𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝, 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟕:𝟒𝟎-𝟓𝟑

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭.” (𝐯.𝟒𝟏) 

         Why is it so difficult for Catholics to speak and defend Jesus the way evangelicals or born-again Christians do? Compared to other Christian churches why don’t we see or hear Catholic speakers on TV or Radio the way the media is flooded with TV/Radio programs hosted by evangelicals.

         Why don’t we even bring our Bibles when we attend Prayers Meetings or Corporate Worships as some communities refer to it? Or why don’t we lug a Bible when we stepped out of the house as some Christians do who are always prepared to share the Word of God at every opportunity.

         I can easily tell the difference between a Christian and a Catholic when I walk to a fast-food restaurant especially at times when these places are not crowded with customers. Many times, I chance upon a group of young people huddled in a quiet corner with their Bibles open and highlighting pens ready and sharing the Word of God among themselves.

        There are even times when I see young people sitting alone and instead of looking at their cell phones they are focused on reading, reflecting on and marking their Bibles with their highlighters. And I can readily tell they are Christians because there’s a certain aura in their faces as if they have discovered something new as they ponder upon the Scriptures.

         And there is probably no one in this planet who is not looking for God or a god for that matter. Those who have been through thick and thin maybe looking for the One True God who could bring them out of the darkness they are in and into the marvelous light.

         But there are some who will follow their own will and search for their own version of a god that comes in different forms and shapes. This god could be in the way of a career, wealth, fame, position and possessions and they have become so driven to achieve success and bring in the rewards of their labor and they put in all their trust in this god that has become their messiah.

         And this Messianic search has been going on for ages and what was ironic was that the religious leaders in the olden days not only tried to kill Jesus who identified himself as the Messiah that the Jews have been waiting for, but they actually succeeded in putting him to death on the cross.

         It is sad that this search for a god has spilled over even to the political arena because today we are no better than the Pharisees, Scribes and the Sadducees by our rejection of the person of Jesus Christ and we are crucifying him once again by our patronage of the so-called anti-life bills.

         It may also sound alien to the late President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, his advisers and the legislators who approved and signed the RH Bill into law but they actually were reenacting the passion and death of Jesus Christ and this time there were not only three nails that were driven in the hands and feet of Christ but 151 nails representing the 133 representatives and 13 senators who approved and signed the RH Bill, then Budget Secretary Butch Abad, former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, communications director Ricky Carandang whose presence during the deliberations in Congress was very evident and President Aquino himself who signed the RH Bill into law.

         As if the RH Law was not enough, the same set of legislators who pushed for the RH Bill also pushed for the enactment of the so-called “death bills” such as abortion, divorce and same-sex marriage. Like the Pharisees we seem oblivious to the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in our midst that we are now also trying to kill the very source of Grace and our salvation.

        In today’s Gospel reading we see the religious leaders saying: “𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭.” (𝐯.𝟒𝟎) and others said, “𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭.” (𝐯.𝟒𝟏). But the Scribes, Pharisees and the religious leaders do not know what to make out of Jesus. Having gotten used to the stringent laws they have imposed on the people, many of the Jews were amazed at the way Jesus taught at the synagogues. In fact, they were mesmerized by the kind of authority that Jesus exuded that introduced a new dimension to the Old Testament traditions that the Jews grew up with.

         But this was as far as they would go and they will continue to reject Jesus simply because he did not fit into the image they have created of the Messiah. In fact, these religious leaders and many of the Jews have become selective listeners. They perhaps agreed with what Jesus said but only if this will not compromise their position as teachers of the law.

         While this was the pervading mood at the time, this culture of unbelief is still in vogue these days as there remains a certain degree of resistance to the Word of God, and it is not unusual to see that there are around us who still could not subordinate their human nature to God’s Will.

         This is because the battle between good and evil is still raging and although Christ has already conquered the world, the evil one remains active and on the prowl like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟓:𝟖) which is why we need to be alert all the time to resist the devil and stand firm in the faith (𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟓:𝟗).

         In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah was also opposed by his own people because the words he spoke was not accepted by the people and they plotted to silence him and to “𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.” (𝐉𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏:𝟏𝟗).

         We may not be aware of it but we are also rejecting Jesus by shunting aside the beneficial value of his Gospel because his teachings do not sit well with us. The thing is we cannot remain indifferent when we come across the message of Christ.

         Notwithstanding the abject refusal of the Jews to accept him as the Messiah his presence caused a division for many in Israel. There are those who believed he was a prophet, some said the Messiah and, some believed he was neither. The reaction of the temple guards who were sent to arrest Jesus was one of bewildered amazement.

        They went to arrest him, and they returned empty-handed because “𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝.” (𝐯.𝟒𝟔) but the reaction of the chief priests and the Pharisees was one of contempt. Contrary to this misdemeanor, the reaction of Nicodemus was at most timid. His heart moved him to defend Jesus, but his head told him not to take the risk.

         This brings us to the question in the present form – “𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?” Having known him as the one who created us, who gave up his life and died on the cross to ransom us and who purchased us with his own blood, why is it that we cannot bring ourselves to submit to his Will and defend him from those who ignore him.

         Because to stand up for Jesus will invite mockery into our lives. We can even become unpopular in the way we live our lives. To follow Jesus as a disciple would entail hardship, sacrifice, and suffering.

         And in our lifetime, we will be confronted with choices from which we must choose from: 1) 𝑻𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑮𝒐𝒅’𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒚 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔; 2) 𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅’𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅; 3) 𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏.

         There will be times when we will find ourselves wanting to defend Jesus when we hear him being mocked and ridiculed, but we can’t gather the boldness to do so because our lives do not mirror the authority that is needed for us to preach the Word of God in spirit and in truth.

         In other words, we are incapable of defending Jesus because we do not want to risk the specter of being rejected ourselves. What we may be forgetting is what Jesus has said that he would confess before God the Father those who would confess him here on earth. Worst still is the probability that Jesus would deny before the Father in heaven those who would deny him on earth.

         In this Lenten Season, it would be of immense benefit to us if we could spend some quiet time to ask ourselves if we are prepared to stand up for Jesus not only to defend him but to bring the Gospel of love to others. Are we prepared to give him honor and be loyal to him regardless of the cost to us?

         When we hold back on our subservience to Jesus because we still could not dissociate ourselves from the world, we must remember that if we persist in doing this, we are losing our rights to earn a piece of the Kingdom of God that has been reserved for us.

         The paradox of life is that it is through the cross of sacrifice and suffering that will earn for us an abundant life that is filled with eternal joy. This is why the cross is something we should not avoid but which we should embrace for our salvation depends on the cross.

         Let me end with this quote from Pope Francis who said in one of his homilies: “𝘔𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥'𝘴 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴; 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥'𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.” (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 21, 2026)