In the temple, at Solomon’s Portico, Jesus was rejected. Many people reached for rocks to stone Him (Jn 10:31). They also tried to arrest Him (Jn 10:39). Jesus “eluded their grasp” and “went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier” (Jn 10:39-40). “In that place, many came to believe in Him” (Jn 10:42).

Why was Jesus not accepted in the holy place, the temple, but believed in “down by the riverside”? It was because St. John the Baptizer had been administering his baptism of repentance “down by the riverside.” Wherever there is repentance, there is faith. Where there is no repentance, Jesus is rejected and His Church persecuted.

If we have had a Lent of repentance, then we will have an Easter of faith. If our Lent is lacking repentance, however, our Easter will not be pleasing to God. We will even be used consciously or unconsciously to hinder God’s work. Therefore, we must repent. Even if we have let sin blind us to our need for repentance, we must ask the Lord to break through our spiritual blindness, convict us of our sins, and empower us to repent.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15 RSV-CE).

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from April 1, 2022 through May 31, 2022. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio August 3, 2021"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.