John 10:22-30

Acts 11:19-26

Psalm 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7

John 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.

It was winter. 

And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. 

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? 

If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 

Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.

The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.

But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.

My sheep hear my voice;

I know them, and they follow me. 

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. 

No one can take them out of my hand. 

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,

and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. 

The Father and I are one.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, as I contemplate the work of your Son and the work of the early Christians, I witness the power of faith in your Son, Jesus Christ. Your Son constantly invited people to believe in him, and the disciples of Jesus did the same. You invite me each day to renew and deepen my faith in your Son. I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!

Encountering the Word of God

1. A Bittersweet Feast: The Feast of Dedication was not very old in Jesus’ day. Unlike the Feast of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, which had over 1000 years of history, the Feast of Dedication was a relatively new feast in Jesus’ day. It recalled the actions of the Maccabees, who overthrew the Greek Seleucids and reconsecrated the Second Temple in 164 B.C. To this day, the Jewish people continue to celebrate the Feast of Dedication, known more popularly as Hanukkah. Jesus was very different from the Maccabees. The Maccabees were led by Judas “the Hammer,” who violently overthrew Antiochus “Epiphanes” IV. This dynasty of the Maccabees, known as the Hasmonean dynasty, eventually usurped the high priesthood under Jonathan. And so, the Feast of Dedication was somewhat bittersweet. It recalled how the Jewish people resisted the pagan influence of the Gentile Greeks under the leadership of the Hasmoneans, but also how the high priesthood of Israel was eventually usurped by that same family. And so, in Jesus’ day, there was both a false king appointed by the Romans, i.e., Herod the Great, and false high priests who were not descendants of Zadok.

2. The New Temple: The Feast of Dedication looked forward to the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy about a New Temple. When the people of Judah returned from exile in Babylon and rebuilt the Temple, they were brought to tears when they did not see the glory of the Lord descend and fill the Holy of Holies. And so, in Jesus’ day, they were still waiting for the glory of the Lord to return to the Temple. The presentation of Jesus in the Jerusalem Temple, 40 days after his birth in Bethlehem, was a fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. The glory of God, incarnate in the baby Jesus, entered into the Temple. But ultimately, Ezekiel’s prophecy was fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus, when the cornerstone of the New Temple, not made with human hands, was laid. We share in Jesus’ death and resurrection through the Sacrament of Baptism. In this way, washed in the river of life, we become the living stones of the New Temple, the mystical Body of Christ.

3. One God, Three Persons: During the Feast of Dedication, Jesus continues his proclamation of the mystery of the Triune God. At his Baptism, we heard the voice of God the Father and witnessed the descent of the Spirit. At the Transfiguration, the voice of the Father was heard, and the Son was enveloped in the cloud of the Spirit. In the Gospel of John, Jesus announces the sending of the gift of the Spirit. In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims that he and the Father are not two gods, but one God: “The Father and I are one.” This means that God is undivided and that the Persons of the Trinity are consubstantial. We, as Christians, do not believe in three gods. We believe in one God, who has been revealed to us in the fullness of time as three co-equal divine Persons. God the Father eternally begets the Son and their mutual and eternal love for one another spirates the Holy Spirit, the Love of God. There are hints of the Trinity in the Old Testament, even in the first lines of Genesis. God created the heavens and the earth by speaking his Word as the Spirit hovered over the waters of the abyss. The same Triune God, who created the world from nothing, is at work in our re-creation, which unites us to the life of the Father through the Son and in the Spirit.  

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to boldly proclaim the Gospel in my family, my workplace, and in my community. Enlighten my mind and heart to know how and when to proclaim you as the Son of God and Savior of the world.

Living the Word of God: Today’s readings invite us to renew our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. With God’s grace, we can grow in our faith. This faith finds expression in love, service, and self-sacrifice. It is strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It influences our decisions and actions in such a way that we can act as true disciples of Jesus. How is my faith expressing itself in love and charity?