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Thursday, October 7, 2021

Ecce Homo (Behold the man)

Ecce Homo are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of the Gospel of John when he presents a scourged Jesus Christ, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his Crucifixion (Jn19:5).

In fact, this Scourged Jesus, bound and crowned with thorns is the authentic person, free and pure in the eyes of God, the Father. Jesus came to show us the way to true greatness and happiness. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is presented as the suffering servant who gave his life in ransom for the salvation of all. He, therefore, invited his followers to embrace the Cross and to drink the Cup of suffering if they want to experience the joy of heaven. However, in our Western culture, greatness is symbolized by personages such movies stars, football players, singers, political figures etc.

Today, our culture tends to minimize the meaning of vicarious suffering and promotes instead the easy way out. That is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is counter-cultural. While our culture tends to embrace individualism and hedonism, the Gospel invites us to choose the way of the cross.

“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant. Whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In other words, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the authentic and great person is the humble and compassionate servant. On this World Mission Sunday, Jesus invites us to bring in our prayers and to financially support all those missionaries working in difficult conditions in many parts of the world. May the Lord continue to bless each one of you! Happy World Mission Sunday!

Fr. Jean Jadotte