Wanted: Dead or Alive

The Gospel from today’s Mass (John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30) recalls the courage of Christ in the face of the muderous intent of the Jewish leadership:

[1]After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.  [2] Now the Jews’ feast of Tabernacles was at hand….[10]But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private….[25]Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? [26] And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? [27] Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” [28] So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. [29] I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” [30] So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.

Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates a heroic, a Holy Courage, in the face of death:

• As noted above, it is clear that those in the Jewish leadership are trying to kill Jesus, for they hate and fear Him.  
• Apparently, Jesus doesn’t need His Divine Insight to know the Jewish leadership’s evil intents:  it seems to be widely known that Jesus has be targeted for death.
• Stop and imagine how we might act if there were wanted posters everywhere for us;  would we have the courage to appear publicly and speak the truth?  Most wouldn’t .  But Christ does.
• Despite the fact that His life is in imminent danger, Jesus preaches openly and provocatively: Jesus is speaking about God the Father in a way that inflames His enemies all the more.
• Despite their organization and power, despite their spies in the crowd, the enemies of Christ can not touch Jesus.  It is not His hour.

In our world, we celebrate heroic acts of bravery and courage.

Jesus Christ is the perfection of virtue; we should marvel at His courage…and be awed at His power.