Carmelite homily for Wednesday, April 1, 2020 – Lectionary 253 (John 8:31-42)
In today’s Gospel there’s still more upset. This time the issue is freedom versus slavery. The Pharisees claim to be free because they’re children of Abraham, and Jesus says they’re slaves. They get upset. It’s not just an external freedom Jesus is talking about. It’s an internal freedom. Here’s what Saint John of the Cross says, “Freedom cannot abide in an enslaved heart; rather, it abides in a liberated heart, a child’s heart.” That’s where true freedom is. This is the freedom Jesus offers; the freedom Jesus teaches; the freedom Jesus gives.
