THE WORD
Dn 3, 14-20.91-92/Jn 8, 31-42
Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say,
‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.” They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!” So they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”6
IN OTHER WORDS
Erik Erikson, a 20th century American psychologist, noted: “In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity.”
The focal point of the tension in today’s gospel is the issue of identity. The Jews believe that their sense of identity comes from the position they continue to enjoy as the chosen people. Being descendants of Abraham, they claim that they have never been slaves to anyone. Furthermore, they invoke the Fatherhood of God to legitimize their identity. For Jesus, however, his sense of identity simply comes from his being sent by His Father – the Son of the Father. And so, for him, the Jews’ rejection of his word and impending attempt to kill him contradict their claim of the same Fatherhood; and that unless they would love him, their claim of the Fatherhood of God has no sense at all.
In such a tension, Jesus teaches that by failing to accept and love him, the Jews’ claim of divine inheritance is not authentic. In our case, it does not suffice that we can trace our spiritual fatherhood of God through membership in the Church. The gospel reminds us that an authentic claim to such a divine heritage lies in our capacity to accept the words of Jesus. It lies in our openness to listen to Him, though at times it may really hit and even break us. Acceptance of Jesus calls us to get rid of our superficial and false sense of identity like that of a Jews whose superficial sense of identity deprived them to see the newness and richness of Jesus’ words and person.
The post-modern world has created a culture of hegemony that tends to ruin our sense of identity as individuals or as a community of persons. This is where Christian identity can offer a counter culture. Our sense of identity in Christ, when fully lived by us who are called Christians - not only by name but by our very life - can become a powerful means to dispel the power of unbelief and
indifference that pervade the world. And so the gospel today invites us to examine the false sense of identity that we have imposed on ourselves, or that we have allowed the world to impose on us.
How can they become means to enslave us? How do they hinder us in our search for freedom and peace in our lives? May this Lenten season give us the grace to break off from them and therefore once again, let the Christ in us grow and shine forth to the people around us.
- Fr. Samuel Agcaracar, SVD | Rome, Italy
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.
