Today's Gospel March 27 2020 with comment

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John 7,1-2.10.25-30.
At that time, Jesus was leaving for Galilee; in fact he didn't want to go to Judea anymore, because the Jews tried to kill him.
Meanwhile, the feast of the Jews, called Capanne, was approaching;
But his brothers went to the party, then he too went; not openly though: secretly.
Meanwhile, some of Jerusalem were saying, "Isn't this what they are trying to kill?"
Behold, he speaks freely, and they say nothing to him. Did the leaders really recognize that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from; the Christ instead, when he comes, nobody will know where he is from ».
Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple, exclaimed: «Of course, you know me and you know where I am from. Yet I did not come to me and whoever sent me is truthful, and you do not know him.
But I know him, because I come to him and he sent me ».
Then they tried to arrest him, but nobody managed to get his hands on him, because his time had not yet come.

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Carmelite, doctor of the Church

Spiritual song, verse 1
"They tried to arrest him, but nobody could get his hands on him"
Where did you hide, Beloved?

Alone here, moaning, you left me!

Like the deer fled,

after hurting me;

shouting I chased you: you were gone!

"Where did you hide?" It is as if the soul says: "Word, my Spouse, show me where you are hidden". With these words he asks him to manifest his divine essence to her, because the "place where the Son of God is hidden" is, as St. John says, "the bosom of the Father" (Jn 1,18:45,15), that is, the divine essence, inaccessible to every mortal eye and hidden from all human understanding. This is why Isaiah, speaking with God, expressed himself in these terms: "Truly you are a hidden God" (Is XNUMX:XNUMX).

It should therefore be noted that, however great the communications and presences of God towards the soul and however high and sublime are the knowledge that a soul can have of God in this life, all this is not the essence of God has nothing to do with him. In truth, he still remains hidden from the soul. In spite of all the perfections that he discovers of him, the soul must consider him a hidden God and go in search of him, saying: "Where did you hide?" Neither high communication nor the sensitive presence of God are, in fact, a certain proof of his presence, just as they are not testimony to his absence in the soul, the aridity and lack of such interventions. For this reason, the prophet Job says: "He passes by me and I do not see him, he goes away and I do not notice him" (Job 9,11:XNUMX).

From this it can be deduced that if the soul experiences great communications, knowledge of God or any other spiritual sensation, it does not for this reason have to assume that all this is a possession of God or being more within him, or what he feels or intends is essentially God, however great this is. On the other hand, if all these sensitive and spiritual communications were to fail, leaving it in aridity, darkness and abandonment, it does not mean that God must miss it. (...) The main intent of the soul, therefore , in this verse of the poem it is not only asking for affective and sensitive devotion, which does not give the evident certainty that the Bridegroom is possessed by grace in this life. Above all he asks for the presence and clear vision of his essence, of which he wishes to have certainty and have joy in the other life.