Seeking God in Love and Truth!

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr

Jude 17:20-25; Mk 11:27-33

Today’s Gospel invites us to seek God in love and truth. 

In the Gospel, we find Jesus asking a counter question when the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders enquire about the source of his authority. 

Jesus is neither averse nor evasive when it comes to taking questions.

In fact, there are many occasions in which we find Jesus answering the questions. Perhaps the most famous instance could be the story of the Good Samaritan, which comes as an answer to a lawyer’s question, ‘Who is my neighbor?’ (Lk 10:29). 

Jesus avoids their question by asking a counter question for two reasons. 

1.They were not seekers. Different people followed Jesus for different reasons. The reason the Jewish religious leaders followed Jesus had nothing to do with discovering the meaning of life or attaining spiritual depth. It was merely to engage in debates and discussions that would leave their hearts and lives untouched. Jesus had no place for such shallow people. 

2. They were cunning. The fact that Jesus was followed by the Jewish religious leaders of his time reminds me of a quote that reads, ‘Not all followers are fans.’ Moreover, the questions asked by those who have the answers are dangerous. The religious leaders wanted to trap Jesus with their questions. And Jesus is not keen on satisfying their mere intellectual curiosity. 

In sum, Jesus wants to help those who faithfully seek God. 

And a seeker’s life is characterized by love and truthfulness and not by vainglory and deceit. 

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Justin the Martyr, who is known as the first Christian philosopher. Let us pray that the patron saint of the philosophers may inspire us to understand the Christian truths so that we live them in love and sincerity. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar