Readings:

Ex. 32:7-14; Ps. 106; Jn. 5:31-47

Have you ever wrestled with God? I’m sure we have wrestled with one another, especially during this time being stuck indoors. But, have we ever wrestled with God the way we might go at it with one another? The readings today are packed full of imagery and meaning, and interestingly enough, both are presented in the form of a trial.

In the First Reading, God has found the Israelites guilty of becoming depraved, worshipping a false idol, a golden calf, instead of the One True God, who freed them from slavery to the Egyptians. In this trial, God is the prosecutor and the judge, but Moses is the defense attorney. “Moses, his chosen one, withstood him in the breach,” representing the people and arguing the case on their behalf. He says, “Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’” And while might dwell on the wrath of God in such a passage, God chooses, rather, to show mercy. So, right about now is when we should all begin to wrestle a little with God.

We should take care not to read every passage of the Bible literally, otherwise when we come across passages like today’s reading, we are likely to see God as a bully just waiting for some opportunity to bring destruction upon us. But, is that the way God acts? Is God some cosmic ogre? If God truly wanted to wipe the Israelites out for their lack of faith, why does He first tell Moses that this is what He wants to do? Might it stand to reason that God was giving Moses, and indeed the people of Israel, an opportunity for a plea bargain? Could it be that what God was really trying to do was give them an opportunity to turn from their evil ways?

Are you still wrestling? Good. Because these kinds of trials are presented again and again throughout the Old Testament. Abraham, our father in faith, wrestles with God when he was about to wipe out Soddom and Gommorah (see Gn. 18:16ff); Jacob wrestles with God in the desert as he was on his way to reconcile with his brother Esau (see Gn. 32:23-33). The story of Jacob is revelatory, because if you recall the passage, Jacob insists that he will not let the angel go until he learns his name. But, the angel tells Jacob that he would not be able to comprehend his name, because it is mysterious. Instead, the angel gives Jacob a new name, which actually reveals his own. The angel renames Jacob “Israel,” which is a combination of two words in Hebrew: yisra, which means “wrestle,” and el, which means God. So, Israel means wrestles-with-God.

Are you still wrestling? Because all of us are sons and daughters of Abraham. All of us who believe that Jesus is the Son of God are by faith sons and daughters of the Most High. And our faith should find us on the side of God, standing together for truth, justice, and peace. And how do we stand together? Well, during the season of Lent, through the discipline of giving something up, sacrificing to God not just for our sake, but for the sake of others; praying rosaries and novenas; and we might even setup virtual chapels to stream the Mass online. There’s really no shortage of ways in which we can wrestle with God; what matters is that we are contenders and defenders of one another before the Almighty.

In the Gospel, Jesus is on trial for healing on the Sabbath. In the passage leading up to today’s, Jesus had healed a paralyzed man by the pool of Bethsaida, commanding him to rise, pick up his mat, and walk. It was unlawful for the man to carry his mat on the Sabbath, which Jesus commanded him to do, so the Jewish leaders sought to have Jesus arrested for breaking the law. At that time, a person was found guilty on the testimony of two witnesses, and you can imagine how many people saw the mighty signs Jesus performed there. But, rather than look to the signs as testimony to Jesus’ relationship to the Father, the leaders sought to have Jesus locked up. So, Jesus then provides his own line of defense against these accusations. First, he provides is own two witnesses: John the Baptist and God the Father. The Father is a witness through the signs Jesus performs. But, since they neither recognize the signs, nor the Father working through him, Jesus offers them Moses as a witness. For if Moses could perform mighty signs, speak to God face-to-face, and intercede on behalf of the people, and Jesus comes doing the same, then it is they who have failed to uphold the law, namely, that anyone who wishes to honor God must honor the Son. And Jesus, who is the Son of David, the rightful heir to the throne, is the Messiah. But, since they deny Jesus and the signs he performs, they also deny God. So, which is the greater sin: Bringing healing and restoration on the Sabbath or denying God?

Are we still wrestling? Good. Because now, it would seem, it is we who are on trial. The COVID-19 epidemic has caused great panic and fear. It is a deadly virus, a plague knowing no borders, not caring about race, creed, age, or gender. But, in spite of that danger, one thing should be very clear: Jesus, the Son of God, has come to heal us, and the only way to eternal life is through him. And if Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, we must ask ourselves: How have we been living our faith? Are we on fire for the Lord, or are we obsessed with other things? Jesus wants us to come to him to have life. So, while we’re stuck indoors during this time of isolation, let us go to Jesus, let us wrestle with him in our hearts and in our minds, and by so doing, may our prayers, our sacrifices, our turning away from evil things that distract, lead to a deeper expression of faith, a deeper longing for the Eucharist, and real transformation that comes to us only from the Most Merciful, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Given during the COVID-19 pandemic.