by: Rev. Fr. Renato Ligeralde, CJM
Jn. 9:1-41
The first reading states that God sees the heart and not the looks or stature of a person; and, in the Gospel, Jesus opted to do what is good and not what is merely right. Therefore, both readings show God’s justice.
It is known that the first commandment in the Decalogue is the central of all commandments while the Law on Sabbath is considered as a link between the first three and the last six commandments. This could be the reason why Jesus cured a blind person during the Sabbath. This does not mean that he broke the Law. He just showed the primacy of God’s Law of justice. “Which is important, to do good on Sabbath or to do evil? To give life or to take it away?”
God’s justice is very different from the justice of human. The justice of human is based on the law of retaliation: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But God’s justice is based on the law of love, that is, compassion, mercy and forgiveness.
The whole Bible speaks of God’s justice. There are many stories in the Holy Bible that illustrate God’s justice. For example, David’s story. Although David was unfaithful to God, God remained faith to David. Remember the story of David and Bathsheba? He committed a great sin but, still, God took David’s line to be the line of the Messiah. God invited David to repent and he did.
So, as we continue our Lenten journey, Jesus extends his invitation to us. Jesus invites us to look at the heart of a person and not on his/her stature or state of life. He summons us to do what is good than to do what is merely right. That is, to give life to other people by forgiving all those who have wronged us, to be compassionate and merciful. In other words, he is calling us to exercise God’s justice.
Prayer: O Lord Jesus, we beg you to lend us your eyes so that we could see the heart of our neighbors, and produce the fruit of true justice which is God’s justice. Amen.
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