Betrayal of God's Love

Homily for Saturday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

If we dive into the Scriptures which we proclaim today, it becomes evident that disciples of Jesus must live within the tension of Zechariah’s promise and Luke’s paradox.

Zechariah refers to Jerusalem as a city that God has walled with fire, a fire that protects, a fire that barricades the enemies of Jerusalem. Zechariah announces the words of the covenant of Sinai, but he removes the conditional words of that covenant. It is no longer “if” and “then”, now it is very simple: “They shall be His people and He will dwell among you.” Aware of the many times that God has forgiven the betrayal of the children of Israel, Zechariah is convinced that God will never abandon the people. God’s protective wall of fire is not always visible, but that wall is always present.

But wait! In the Gospel text for today, Jesus announces again that he will be handed over into the hands of evil men. God lovingly gives us in his incarnate Son who is betrayed and put to death. Saint Luke tells us that the people were amazed by Jesus and the works that he was able to perform. Aware of his power, they simply do not understand that Jesus will allow himself to be put to death. Yet in God’s plan of salvation, this betrayal is the avenue which leads to God reconciling with the people one last time, or, as the letter to the Hebrews tells us: “once for all.”

And so, we live between the recognition of God’s power and the glory of the cross which seem to be diametrically opposed with one another. Like the people of Jesus’ time, we may not understand this reality, and we may find it difficult to live with this tension. However, it becomes possible for us because we have the Eucharist, God’s surest sign of God’s present among us.