Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
The Prophecy and The Fulfilment
The
people of Israel, God’s chosen people due to their disobedience to God went into
different exiles and scattered and were plundered.today the readings offer to
those people and to us in similar situations a ray of hope of coming
together.
The Prophecy
The
prophet Ezekiel foresees messianic age, where the scattered people will be
united into one, all will return home. In this time and age people will give up
their sinful ways and all forms of evil activities that go against God because
of which they were distanced, disconnected and plagued internally but now when
this time comes they will be cleansed and comforted by God. And in this age,
there will be a ruler, more specially in terms of a shepherd, a descendant of
David, who cares for his flock.
The Fulfilment:
Jesus is the
fulfilment of this prophecy, he is the good shepherd protecting his own,
searching for the lost one, uniting everyone in his name and establishing a new
covenant with his blood on the cross. Now this covenant extends to all of us,
all of humanity.
The context was
Jesus was becoming popular, the people are listening and following more than
chief priests and pharisees. So they are afraid and concerned about their power
and authority is at stake. And also it would bring problems with the Romans. So
that it was better to eliminate the “problem” so that things could return to
the way they were. So Caiaphas says “it is better for you that one man
should die instead of the people so that the whole nation may not perish."
Jesus indeed died for the people, fulfilling the prophecy of the old
covenant, not only for Israel for all
humanity, through this act Jesus united everyone in his name and gave new life.
We also see at the end of the Gospel today, “ what do
you think? Will he come to the festival or not?”Dear friends As we approach the
Holy Week let us keep in mind he is the central character of feast, the liturgy
and salvation.
Today, our lives, families are scattered by vested
personal interests and live in an age normalised sinful behaviour and living.
And also we are like Pharisees craving after positions of authority, power and
control blinded by pride not able to pursue truth and understanding.
The
Lord offers us to gather us into one and is ready to lay down his for all of us. Let us reflect today to which side
do I lean onto, to the side Jesus or to the side of sinful living (distancing
God)
To those who follow Jesus, the story of persecution,
misunderstanding continues today. We have to face them with certainty that
Jesus is the lord and move forward like Jesus to the fulfilment of Father’s
will.
Therefore
the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has
borne,Then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel.(Micah
5:2)
but God has thus brought to fulfilment what he had
announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets,* that his
Messiah would suffer.(Acts of the Apostles 3:18)
కామెంట్లు లేవు:
కామెంట్ను పోస్ట్ చేయండి