THE WORD
Nm 21,4-9 / Jn 8,21-30
Jesus said to the Pharisees, “I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I tell the world.” They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
IN OTHER WORDS
Jesus implies separation in this gospel. He said: “You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above.” Separation, in its most common manifestation, is nothing but an undesirable act of division. It is part of life but we don’t like its painful process: sadness, regret, hate, pain and tears. And we long to be reunited to people or things we are separated from.
When I, as an exchange student, left the Philippines for Portugal, I had difficulty accepting separation from family and friends. Perhaps all missionaries or overseas workers undergo the same separation difficulty. Yet, why do they choose to sacrifice the luxury of being with the people they love to venture and live in far distant places? I believe separation is not an end but a necessary process for a sweet reunion ahead. After all, separation is part of the greater picture of unity.
Humanity has long been separated from God. God did not turn away from us; we turned away from Him through our sins. Nevertheless, God wants us to be reunited with Him by sending his son Jesus on earth to bring us back to him. Jesus lived among us, yet never separated from the Father. Jesus proves that being human does not mean being separated from the divine – him as the perfect example of being both human and divine. His invitation is for us to imitate him and be reunited with the Father. And for this to happen, we need to turn away from the things that separate us from Him: our sins and worldly desires. Otherwise, we cannot fully live with Him, neither here on earth nor in the life after. May we choose eternal joy with God more than meeting worldly pleasures.
- Fr. Charlie Bardaje, SVD | Portugal
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
