In today’s gospel reading, Jesus addresses an innately human problem: acceptance. As human beings living in a fallen world, this is something we struggle with every single day. We strive for acceptance by our peers, our families, our friends and even ourselves, and not earning this approval can be a very disappointing thing. Although Jesus comes in the name of his Father, He is not readily accepted or believed in. It is through this very human suffering of His that we see a glorious confirmation of our Lord’s perfect humanity.

At the core of this passage are two very fundamental questions: who is Jesus? And who bears witness to Jesus? In our world today, it is hard to believe everything people say, and quite frankly, we would be naïve to do so. We need witnesses to confirm the claims we hear sometimes, just as Jesus uses for Himself in scripture. The witness of Jesus Christ that we see in today’s gospel is particularly beautiful because He does not promote or exalt Himself. He has every right to do so, yet He still uses His Father: “There is another witness who speaks on My behalf.” This witness is true and merits our belief each and every day.

This Lent is a wonderful opportunity for us to humble ourselves to see the light of Jesus Christ’s witness. May we be free from the blindness that prevents us from embracing the complete humanity and divinity of our Lord, and may the truth of God fuel our hearts to burn, that we may shine in His radiance and goodness.