Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
One time, Jesus realized that his enemies were planning to kill him, so he went away (Cf. Matthew 12:15). Why? Was Jesus Christ, true God and true man, unable to defeat his enemies on that occasion? Certainly not. Remember that he could call upon his Father who could provide him at any moment with more than twelve legions of angels. It’s not that Jesus can’t fight, it’s that he fights differently than we are used to. According to St. Ignatius Loyola, Jesus wills to conquer the whole world and all his enemies and so enter into the glory of his father. Sometimes, as in his debates with the pharisees, Christ overcomes his enemies directly. Sometimes, as in today’s gospel, he backs away. And sometimes, as in his crucifixion, he lets his enemies appear to win. In every case, though, at a deeper level, he is victorious.
There is a lesson for us in this. Sometimes it is best for us to directly confront those who are in the wrong. Sometimes it’s better to back away. Sometimes it’s better to appear to lose, but only at a superficial level. At the deepest level, we must always win. We do that by always clinging to Christ, our captain, and employing his tactics, being loving, true, honest, faithful and merciful. In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us (Romans 8:37).