Today's gospel reflection

Before I post today's gospel reflection, I would like to appologize for being so crappy at putting up new posts this semester. It's not that I don't have anything to say either! - It just hasn't been happening. But anyways, without further ado, your weekly-ish gospel reflection:

Today’s gospel reading is one we have all heard many times before. However, there are many small lessons to be gleaned from it.

The first is one that can easily be missed – blame. Pilot, like us on many occasions is immediately uncomfortable when Jesus asks him if there are his accusations or not. Pilot passes the blame on to others instead of taking his own stand. It was not Pilot’s idea to hand Jesus over, but by refusing to take responsibility or to step in and put a stop to it, he became a central character in the story. From this we should realize how essential it is to not only stand up for what we believe in, but to question the motives of those who are acting immorally.

The second thing Jesus expresses in this very short reading is the awesome strength of heaven. He alludes to the great power of the angels. From this we are reminded of the almighty influence and power of God. It should be comforting to know that someone with such authority is watching us with careful eyes and a loving hand.

The third aspect of today’s gospel is Jesus’ mission. He acknowledges that the reason for his human birth is to save humanity from itself saying “for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world”. He shies away from the word king; this is not a title the humble Jesus would bestow upon himself. God sent us his only Son so that we can be the great people He wants us to be and capitalize on our capacity for good by following in Jesus’ example.

This example is our guideline for life. In today’s gospel reading Jesus tells us one very important way to become closer to him stating, “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice”. Telling the truth is a basic, yet incredibly difficult, part of our role as good Catholics. Many times it is easier to tell small lies, more rewarding to exaggerate, or less trouble for us to omit the truth . But if we remember that these false truths turn us away from God’s voice, then we realize it is much better to suffer the consequences of the truth in life than to suffer the consequences of deceit in death.