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Two ways of blasphemy (Mar 17, 2021, Wednesday 4th Week Lent)
Jesus exercises his divine power in two critical roles as the Creator. The first is to give life and raise the dead. The other is to judge the living and the dead. As we read in today’s gospel from John 5, it was Jesus who announced his divine sonship through these roles. His claim was clear enough that the Jews started persecuting Jesus for blasphemy. For the Jews, Jesus was only human. But he made himself equal to God.
Indeed, if a human person poses as the life-giver and the ultimate judge of all, he blasphemes God. The person usurps the prerogatives of the Son of God. He makes himself a god.
We witness this blasphemy filling our world more than ever. Scientists, activists and policymakers determine life and death. They define the moment of human life’s beginning. But they are not the only ones who take the place of God. Many men and women attempt to play God by contraception and abortion. Catholics are not an exception here. US surveys reveal 98% of Catholic women use contraceptives. And as we all saw in the recent legal development of medically assisted suicide in Canada, mankind now tries to expand its role as the life-giver and life-taker at any stage of human life.
In the meanwhile, more and more people are politically and culturally polarized in recent years. People judge one another as liberals and conservatives. This dichotomy is no longer for constructive competition or pursuing the common good for all. As the Son of God will divide the lambs from the goats on the judgement day, people already condemn one another by dividing, separating, and branding. And people demonize others who have different ideas from theirs. On the surface, everyone claims they are inclusive. But exclusion runs deep in many people’s hearts. It happens in almost all sectors of society, and the Church is not an exception. When people judge and condemn others, they are also replacing God by themselves. It is another form of blasphemy.
Are we respecting Christ Jesus as the Son of God? Then, we must also respect his divine rights as the Creator of life and the final Judge of the living and the dead.
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By Fr Swann KimJesus exercises his divine power in two critical roles as the Creator. The first is to give life and raise the dead. The other is to judge the living and the dead. As we read in today’s gospel from John 5, it was Jesus who announced his divine sonship through these roles. His claim was clear enough that the Jews started persecuting Jesus for blasphemy. For the Jews, Jesus was only human. But he made himself equal to God.
Indeed, if a human person poses as the life-giver and the ultimate judge of all, he blasphemes God. The person usurps the prerogatives of the Son of God. He makes himself a god.
We witness this blasphemy filling our world more than ever. Scientists, activists and policymakers determine life and death. They define the moment of human life’s beginning. But they are not the only ones who take the place of God. Many men and women attempt to play God by contraception and abortion. Catholics are not an exception here. US surveys reveal 98% of Catholic women use contraceptives. And as we all saw in the recent legal development of medically assisted suicide in Canada, mankind now tries to expand its role as the life-giver and life-taker at any stage of human life.
In the meanwhile, more and more people are politically and culturally polarized in recent years. People judge one another as liberals and conservatives. This dichotomy is no longer for constructive competition or pursuing the common good for all. As the Son of God will divide the lambs from the goats on the judgement day, people already condemn one another by dividing, separating, and branding. And people demonize others who have different ideas from theirs. On the surface, everyone claims they are inclusive. But exclusion runs deep in many people’s hearts. It happens in almost all sectors of society, and the Church is not an exception. When people judge and condemn others, they are also replacing God by themselves. It is another form of blasphemy.
Are we respecting Christ Jesus as the Son of God? Then, we must also respect his divine rights as the Creator of life and the final Judge of the living and the dead.