|
John
Paul II- General
Audiences on
Jesus Christ the
Son |
Jesus' "hour" is time of
human salvation
H. H.
John Paul II
General Audience
January 14, 1998
1. The celebration
of the Jubilee will invite us to focus our attention on the hour of
salvation. Many times on various occasions, Jesus uses the word
“hour” to indicate the moment determined by the Father for the
fulfilment of the work of salvation. He speaks of it from the start
of his public life, at the wedding feast of Cana, when he receives a
request from his mother on behalf of the bride and groom who are in
difficulty because of the lack of wine. To indicate the reason why
he is opposed to answering the request, Jesus says to his mother:
“My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). This certainly means the hour
for the first manifestation of Jesus’ messianic power. It is a
particularly important hour, as the Gospel account informs us at its
conclusion, where the miracle is presented as “the beginning” or the
“start” of his signs (cf. Jn 2:11). But on the horizon appears the
hour of Jesus’ passion and glorification (cf. Jn 7:30; 8:20;
12:23-27; 13:1; 17:1; 19:27), when he will complete the work of
human Redemption. By working this “sign” through the efficacious
intercession of Mary, Jesus manifests himself as the messianic
Saviour. While he goes to meet the wedding couple, it is really he
himself who is beginning his work as the Bridegroom, inaugurating
the wedding feast which is an image of God’s kingdom (cf. Mt 22:2).
2. With Jesus the hour has come for a new relationship with God, the
hour for a new form of worship: “The hour is coming, and now is,
when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth” (Jn 4:23). The basis for this universal worship is the fact
that, by becoming incarnate, the Son has enabled men and women to
share in his filial worship of the Father. The “hour” is also the
time when the work of the Son is made manifest: “Truly, truly, I say
to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the
voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the
Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have
life in himself” (Jn 5:25-26). The great hour in world history
occurs when the Son gives his life, making his saving voice heard to
those who are under the power of sin. It is the hour of Redemption.
3. All of Jesus’ earthly life is directed to this hour. At an
agonizing moment shortly before his passion, Jesus says: “Now is my
soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this
hour?’. No, for this purpose I have come to this hour” (Jn 12:27).
With these words Jesus reveals the inner drama that is oppressing
his soul in view of his approaching sacrifice. He has the
possibility of asking the Father that this terrible trial might
pass. On the other hand, he does not wish to flee from this painful
destiny: “For this purpose I have come”. He has come to offer the
sacrifice that will bring salvation to humanity.
4. This crucial hour is willed and determined by the Father. Before
the hour chosen by the divine plan, his enemies have no power over
Jesus. Many attempts were made to stop Jesus or to kill him. In
relating one of these attempts, John’s Gospel highlights the
impotence of his adversaries: “They sought to arrest him; but no one
laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come” (Jn 7:30).
When the hour comes, it also appears as the hour of his enemies.
”This is your hour, and the power of darkness”, Jesus says to “the
chief priests and captains of the temple and elders, who had come
out against him” (Lk 22:52-53). In this dark hour it seems that no
one can stop the raging power of evil. Nevertheless, this hour also
remains under the Father’s power. He will allow Jesus’ enemies to
capture him. Their work is mysteriously included in the plan
established by God for the salvation of all.
5. More than the hour of his enemies, the hour of his passion is
thus Christ’s hour, the hour when his mission is fulfilled. John’s
Gospel lets us perceive Jesus’ state of mind at the beginning of the
Last Supper: “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out
of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the
world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). It is thus the hour of
love, which wants to go “to the end”, that is, to the supreme gift.
In his sacrifice Christ reveals perfect love to us: he could not
have loved us more deeply! This decisive hour is both the hour of
passion and the hour of glorification. According to John’s Gospel,
it is the hour when the Son of man is “lifted up from the earth” (Jn
12:32). The lifting up on the Cross is the lifting up to heavenly
glory. Then the phase of the new relationship with humanity will
begin, particularly with the disciples, as Jesus himself announces:
“I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall
no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the
Father” (Jn 16:25). The supreme hour is ultimately the moment when
the Son returns to the Father. It clarifies the meaning of his
sacrifice and sheds full light on the value of this sacrifice for
humanity, redeemed and called to be united with the Son in his
return to the Father.
To the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors the Holy Father said:
I warmly greet the group of Diocesan Pilgrimage Co-ordinators from
the United States meeting in Rome. May your preparations for the
Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 have as their principal aim the
spiritual renewal of the pilgrims you assist. I welcome the members
of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League, and I express the hope
that your visit will help to strengthen the co-operation of recent
years.
Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims, especially those from
Denmark, Japan and the United States, I invoke the abundant
blessings of almighty God.
Peace Appeal
Hatred continues to bathe the beloved African land in blood. In
Algeria there are constant massacres that involve even women,
children and the elderly. In Rwanda five missionaries belonging to
the Congregation of the Daughters of the Resurrection, as well as
two lay co-workers, were killed in the Diocese of Nyundo. Two other
women religious were seriously wounded.
All our hearts are filled with dismay and sadness at these tragic
incidents, which cannot fail to rouse the conscience of all
humanity.
We offer our prayers for the victims of these ferocious massacres.
I extend my solidarity and spiritual closeness to all who are
afflicted and in sorrow, as I express my heartfelt desire for the
quick recovery of the wounded.
May the sacrifice of so many defenceless people lead to sentiments
of amendment, forgiveness and, ultimately, peace.
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