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As the season of Lent now draws to a close, the dramatic conflict between Jesus and the religious leadership of his time only escalates. This Gospel passage describes a near violent episode in this crescendo. People confronted him — stones in hand — ready to execute him on the spot. Stoning, unfortunately is still used as a means of capital punishment for a few nations in our world. Usually these communities tend to be found among nations that would not be considered mainstream by their developed and industrialized neighbors. We in the Western world do not use stoning as a means of capital punishment as we inflict this penalty in a more humane and private fashion – or so we may have convinced ourselves to believe — as though it could be sanitized.

Stoning was a punishment that a community of people executed. By all modern standards it was a blood-sport that we today would not condone for even the animal world. As Jesus confronts the anger of the people, he asks a disarming question: “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The question is addressed not just to the religious leaders of his day, but to all of us who listen to this passage. The Lord’s Passion and Death are not mere historical events that involving only the people of his era — they include all of us. We stand in the midst of that crowd — stones in hand — guilty of the same rage that will eventually bring Christ to Calvary.

Catholics throughout the world — some only at this time of year — are drawn to the Church’s ritual celebration of the Paschal Mystery of the Lord Jesus. We gather in greater numbers than usual to participate in the sacramental memory of Christ’s self-offering for the Salvation of the World. It is for each one of us to discover what we now find so objectionable in Christ’s message and in His person that we allow ourselves to reject Him so vehemently. What does Christ teach and require from us that would render us willing to join the crowd in needing to silence Him? People repeatedly tend to silence those who threaten them, who make them feel uncomfortable — Ghandi, Dr. King, Archbishop Romero. We need to consider what there may be about Jesus and His message that would prompt us to stand with the crowd and assent to his death — perhaps not by stoning, but with such an intense rejection or fear that we need to pause to reflect on what so troubles us.

Bio: Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory is a native Chicagoan who served as a priest and auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago. He was Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville from 1993-2004, and President of the USCCB from 2001-2004. He has been Archbishop of Atlanta from 2004 until the present.

This gospel, at first glance can be difficult to wrap my head around in terms of the language used by Jesus to communicate with the Jews who were ready to throw stones at him for being blasphemous. However, when Jesus says “If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” the message became much clearer to me. Jesus was not asking people to believe in Him simply because he “said so”, but rather to believe his works, or in other words, his actions. It reminds me of something my mother tried to convey to me all her life, “actions speak louder than words”.

I have always enjoyed the meaning of language and the beauty of a well-crafted note, paper, or speech so throughout my life, the words people have used often have significant meaning to me. From a very personal and devastating experience, I learned that words are not sacred unless they are supported by actions. During the most difficult time of my life, these words from Jesus reached me in a way that was unlike any previous faith experience. I had often prayed that I would know what to do in a given situation: what job to take, what direction should my career move in, how to handle the sudden death of my mother when I was 24? During the initial shock of my divorce, I actually felt the power of Jesus’ message found in this gospel reading. The clear message that Jesus wants us to follow him by not only saying his words or praying to Him, but by creating works in our everyday lives that show we are His followers. If someone’s actions are opposite of what he or she says they will do; then they are not living truthfully.

The other part that I have found to be incredibly true for me, is that God’s Grace can live within us and provide us the strength to not only survive those who might want to stone us, but those who succeed in hitting us with life’s many stressors and disappointments. When Jesus asks us to believe in Him and understand that “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”, I believe He is calling us to welcome the Holy Spirit in the form of Grace so that we too, can be strengthened to continue to grow as His followers. In closing, I believe the Serenity Prayer allows us to tap into the idea that through our faith and Holy Communion, we are given the blessed sacrament so that Jesus can be within us too. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can, and th Wisdom to know the difference. ” During this Lenten season, I hope that my faith is not something I only write about, but is something that I act on every day and continue to nurture in my heart each day hereafter.

Bio: Jennifer Flynn Anzalotti is a 36 year old woman who is the mother of two children, ages 5 & 3, and a graduate student in school counseling who has been relying on faith—along with God’s grace to move forward as a divorced Catholic. She is a native Chicagoan who has lived in several other states, as well as spent time living in London, England. Jennifer is the product of Catholic schools and has gained so much insight from group discussions and shared faith experiences. She is honored to share her thoughts and reflections in this forum.

I can understand how the Jewish people felt about Jesus. Here was this ordinary man that did not fit their image of God. They could not comprehend that the Almighty God would come as one of them. Many people and prophets, such as John the Baptist, did good works because of their faith and love in God, but they were not God. However, John the Baptist preached that this ordinary man, Jesus, who performed numerous miracles and good works, was truly God’s son, and John’s followers came to believe in Him.

In our world, some people believe they are “God” or “doing God’s will” to perform evil works. For example, some religious leaders, world leaders, and ordinary citizens, convince others to donate their money to false charities/government agencies and to deny others the right to life because they are too old (or too young and have no voice), too handicapped, too different in race and religion, and so on. These false gods with their evil works have the potential to suffocate, to erase, and to eradicate the true image of God.

Our challenge in today’s world is to be the image of God through our love, our faith, and especially our good works. It is not an easy task as our world continues to become more secular, more competitive, more materialistic, and more apathetic. The world needs more images of God. Without God, false gods will continue to perform their evil works. Strive to be the image of God by loving, praying, and doing good works this Lenten season. You just might convince someone to believe in the true God rather than the false one.

Bio: Sarah Decker is a school speech and language pathologist. She is married to a wonderful man , Zach, and has a beautiful 10 month old daughter, Samantha. Her family is parishioners at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Gurnee.