Second Birth: Born of Water and the Spirit

In today's Gospel, John 3: 1-8, Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night and acknowledges that Jesus is from God, "for no one," he says to Jesus, "can do these signs that  you are doing unless God is with him."  Jesus says to him in response: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Jesus explains further:  "[U]nless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.....'You must be born from above.'"

In baptism, you and I were born again, that is, we were born of  water and the spirit. Our first birth was of the flesh. Our second birth was of the Spirit. Born of water and the Spirit in baptism, we are recipients of the gifts of the Spirit--wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge and reverence, holy reverence in God's presence--and empowered to bear an abundance of fruits of the Spirit: love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We live by the Spirit because of this second birth.  The more we renounce ourselves, also, the more we 'walk by the Spirit'" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 736, p. 194).

Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night--he is not yet born from above but is invited to be so!  How strong am I in my faith, that is, do I invite others to be born from above, to be baptized with water and he Spirit? Do I realize that it is because I have been gifted with the sacrament of baptism that I am more likely to act wisely, peacefully, patiently, kindly, gently; that I am therefore  more likely to be faithful to my marriage, religious or priestly vows; and that goodness is more likely to dominate the majority of my choices for that same reason?  Why would I not invite a loved one to choose baptism and seek God above all, to renounce him/herself and thereby walk more in the Spirit than in the flesh?

With the apostles, in today's first reading, Acts 4: 23-31, let us pray for the gift to speak boldly when it comes to proclaiming our faith in Christ Jesus and in what Jesus teaches us in the Scriptures and in the Church.

The Reality of Jesus' Resurrection

In today's Gospel, Luke 24: 35-48, the disciples who returned from Emmaus were sharing their story of their encounter with Jesus with the other apostles. "While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does jot have flesh and bones as you can see I have.' And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. while they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them."

Do we need any more proof that Jesus is truly risen from the dead?  Not really!   I believe! I also believe that just as Jesus, in His new resurrected body, could pass through closed doors and be here or there wherever He wished, so, too, for us when we pass through death into eternal life.  Our new resurrected bodies, I believe, will have the same powers that Jesus had following His resurrection from the dead. Like Jesus, also, I believe that I will have flesh and bones and will enjoy rich foods and delight in other joys that I experience here on earth but in an expansive way in heaven.

Following his request for something to eat, Jesus "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. and he said to them, 'Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

May the Lord open our minds to understand the Scriptures. May we also acknowledge and repent of  our sinfulness, knowing God's and other's forgiveness, as well as being forgiving of others and of ourselves, as well!

 

Jesus Walks beside Us

In today's Gospel, Luke 24: 13-35, we encounter two of Jesus' disciples conversing about what has happened over the past three days, the crucifixion and death of their Master. Bewildered that the Person whom they thought would rebuild the nation of Israel and free them from Roman control, these two disciples are leaving the city of Jerusalem, where the murder of their Master took place. They are on their way to Emmaus.  "And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, 'What are you discussing as you walk along? They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, 'Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?' And he replied to them, 'What sort of things?'"  And the two disciples tell Jesus everything!  Jesus listens!  When the disciples stopped talking, Jesus says to them: "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?' Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures."

Notice several things about Jesus:  1) He quietly joins the two disciples. No fanfare! No one-up-man-ship. Jesus does not show off. In fact, He hides His identity!  2) He walks beside them, not behind them nor in front of them. 3) He asks questions, wanting and encouraging the disciples to tell Him what is on their minds. He wants to know what is troubling them! 4) Jesus listens. He does not interrupt! 5) Once the disciples finish telling all, Jesus opens the Scriptures for them, explaining  passages that refer to Christ.  He still does not overwhelm them by revealing to them who is walking beside them! 6) He accepts the disciples' invitation to stay with them, as it was getting dark! 7) He shared the Eucharist with them: He "took bread, said the blessing, broken it, and give it to them."  8)  He opened their eyes and they recognized Him. 9) He touched their hearts deeply: "'Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?'"

Jesus is no different today than back then! 

• He walks beside us!
• He joins us as a quiet listener in our debates with one another (or with ourselves)!
• He hides His identity as the God! We do not see Him in His divinity!
• He wants us to tell all! He wants us to tell Him what is bothering us!
• Jesus listens without interrupting us!
• He opens the Scriptures for us!
• He accepts our invitation to stay with us, "as it is nearly evening and the day is almost over," that is, it is getting dark! 
• He takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it, and gives it to us in the Eucharist as our nourishment, our strength, our purification, our communion with God made flesh with our flesh!

Happy Easter!

In today's Gospel, Luke 24: 1-12, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James went to the tomb at daybreak with spices they had prepared to anoint Jesus' body. They found the tomb empty. While these women,  and others who accompanied them,  were puzzling over the empty tomb, "two men in dazzling garments appeared to them...and said to them: 'Why do you seek seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise from the dead.'"  The women shared their experience with the apostles, who dismissed it as nonsense. Peter, however,  went to the tomb to check the women's story and found only the burial cloths. He returned "home amazed at what had happened."

Death had no power over Jesus. Neither will it have any power us, as St. Paul reminds us in Romans 6: 3-11. "Brothers and sisters: are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life....If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him...." nor over us who believe in Him and live like Him.

Alleluia!

Jesus: Obedient unto Death

"Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name" (Phil 2: 8-9).

As a human being, Jesus went through death in His return to His Father in glory. You and I will also go through death on our return to our eternal home. Once we have passed through death, we will be at the gate that opens into heaven. Thinking of death may be scary for us. However, as St. Paul reminds us in today's second reading,  Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5 7-9, we "have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of God...[W]e do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin, so let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help...." 

As we struggle with our weaknesses, and especially as we struggle with medical conditions that bring us, it seems, to death's door,  or reminds us of our mortality, let us share our fears with Jesus, as we would with a best friend here on earth!  Let us not be afraid to bare our soul to Jesus!  He knows what we are going through, as He Himself has been tested as we are!  He will empathize! He will understand!  He will be able to help us through the darkness into light!

Institution of two sacraments: The Eucharist and Ordination

[O]n the night he was handed over, [Jesus] took bread and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, 'This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,  you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes."

In those words, Jesus instituted two sacraments: the sacrament of the Eucharist and the sacrament of Ordination.  The apostles that night, were ordained priests and entrusted with doing in remembrance of Jesus what Jesus did: changed the bread into His body and the wine into His blood.  "Do this in remembrance of me."  At every Mass, the priest consecrates the bread and wine and says to us: "Take and eat; this is the body of Jesus given up for you and the blood of Jesus poured out for you. Yes, at every Mass, when we receive Holy Communion, we "eat this bread and drink the cup...[proclaiming] the death of the Lord until he comes."  

In the responsorial psalm for tonight's Mass, we pray:  ""How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord....To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon there name of the Lord.  My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people." We do that at the Mass!

Jesus' Hour Had Come!

Tonight is night before Jesus gathers His apostles together to celebrate the Passover meal with Him, to institute the Eucharist, and to announce that one of them is going to betray Him that very night. Tomorrow night Jesus will be arrested in the Garden of Olives, betrayed by one of his close followers, one who followed Jesus closely day by day for three years and was chosen to be a part of an elite group referred to as the apostles. Tomorrow night Jesus will be arrested. I feel sad but I must remember how Jesus foretold his death and subsequent glorification.

In John 12: 23-28,  Jesus says to he apostles: "Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a [person] serves me, that [person]  must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. [Those who] serve me, my Father will honor...Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father glorify your name."

WOW!  Lord, when my hour approaches, may I be graced to remember that through my death your name is being glorified, as it will be the moment that a place has been prepared for me in the eternal kingdom. that moment will be the moment that you have been waiting for: the moment to take me home to heaven to live with you forever! May I, Lord, through grace, "keep [my life] for the eternal life."

False Witnesses Rose up against Jesus

Our liturgy today opens with the following prayer: "Do not leave me to the will of my foes, O Lord, for false witnesses rise up against me and they breathe out violence" (Cf. Ps 27 (26): 12).  How many people are being left to the will of their enemies, victims of crimes committed by persons of little or no conscience, persons who think nothing of making up lies or engaging in criminal activity at the expense of others and using others to cover up their crimes.

Jesus, the Son of God,  fully human and fully divine, suffered in all the ways any human being suffers.  Jesus was unjustly accused, as are so many people in our day--our prisons house many people accused of crimes that they did not commit.  Some of these people are also on death's row, awaiting execution. The leaders of Jesus' time felt threatened by Jesus' population and the crowds of people following Him, proclaiming Him as their king. The leaders of the Jewish nation decided that Jesus had to be to death so that Israel would not lose its status as a nation.  So, to have significant data to convince the Romans, who occupied Israel at the time, to put Jesus to death, the chief priests and the leaders of Israel falsely accused Jesus of blasphemy, punishable by death.  When Pilate examined Jesus, he found no guilt in Him yet turned Him over to the crowd who insisted that He be put to death and He was!

However, death had no power over Jesus!  His enemies did not triumph. Jesus did!  In referring to His impending death, in fact, Jesus stated that the time for Him to be glorified had come.  As we approach the time of our deaths, we, as Christians, believe that we, too, are about to be glorified with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven.  

Consequences of Making Choices, Good or Bad

In today's Gospel, John 12: 1-11, Mary and Martha invited Jesus to dinner--possibly in gratitude that He raised their brother Lazarus from the dead.  Martha served, Lazarus reclined at table with them and Mary lavishly anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfumed oil prior to the meal, I assume.  Judas Iscariot, one of the invited guests, strongly objects to Mary's use of expensive oil to anoint Jesus' feet: "'Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?' He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus [rebukes Judas, saying] 'Leave her alone.'"

Corruption, deception, thievery are evils that anyone of us, in any lifestyle or in any vocation is capable of falling into as we follow Jesus!  For Judas, the choices that he had been making all along led to a tragic end. We do not all of a sudden commit grave sins. Such are preceded by lesser evils, but evils none the less. They weaken our resolve and our efforts to do good.  Spiritual muscles, like physical muscles, if unused, atrophy!

What are we doing to strengthen our spiritual "muscles"?  Daily prayer, reflection upon the Scriptures, attendance at weekly and, if possible, daily liturgy, faithfulness to our vows--religious, priestly or marriage vows--in how we choose to love others for their own sake and for God's sake are important ways to become strong spiritually! Allowing ourselves to do as little as possible,  being slovenly in how we meet our responsibilities, cheating here and there, telling "white"lies, making choices that we know are wrong but "no one will know," seeing what we can get away with without being caught or confronted,  is much like what Judas did with the money bag: the results could be disastrous, or certainly not pretty!

Truly being Jesus' Disciple!

Today's gospel  is a reading of the Passion of Jesus according to Luke! The gospel, Luke 22: 14-23:56, begins with Jesus celebrating the Passover with the apostles and ends with Jesus being crucified between two criminals.  At the beginning of the Passover meal, Jesus says: "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God." Jesus then takes a cup and says: "'Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.' Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.'  And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.' And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; for the Son of Man indeed goes as it as been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.' And they began to debate among themselves who among them would do such a deed."  

The twelve apostles absolutely had no idea who among them who walked with Jesus for three years, talked with him, listened to His preaching, healed in His name could ever betray him to the very persons who were seeking to take his life.  Later that night when Jesus, with three of the apostles, were in the Garden of Olives, "...a crowd approached and in front was one of the Twelve, a man named Judas." And they knew!

How could this possibly have happened? How could a follower of Jesus betray Jesus? Could it be that Judas was only a hearer of the Word but not one who understood Jesus' teaching or lived it truthfully? Could it be that Judas knew "religion" but really had no relationship with Jesus?  The same could be true of you and me!  Do we understand, internalize and live the teachings of Jesus or do we simply hear and not understand, hear and not apply the words of the Scriptures?  If so, we are vulnerable to betraying Jesus, as was Judas.  Do we know religion but not know Jesus, that is, we have not developed a relationship with Jesus, as one would with a best friend? If so, again, we are vulnerable to betraying Him, as was Judas.




 

God Chooses Us

In today's first reading, Ezekiel 37: 21-28, the Lord tells His chosen people through the prophet that He is going to bring them back from exile, that they will no longer be two nations, but one, that the Temple will be restored; in fact, God's sanctuary will be with them forever. "No longer shall they defile the selves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that the may be my people and I may be their God...[T]here shall be one shepherd for them all....My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 

WOW! God is not only speaking to the Israelites. He is speaking to you and me!  You and I, by virtue our baptism, when we died and rose with Christ, belong to God. We were delivered from becoming slaves to sin. We were cleansed of our sinful inclinations--sin has no ore power over us. Like Jesus, who fell many times and got up and continued on to Calvary where He triumphed over Satan and destroyed the power of death, so, too, we, through Christ and in Christ and for Christ get up when we fall into sin, rise to new live in Christ over and over again. God dwells in us, just as God dwells in the land of Israel, in the sanctuary restored in Jerusalem when the people returned from exile.

God in us; we in God, just as Jesus lives in the Father and the Father lives in Him!  We are God's dwelling place!  As "possessions" of God, God changes us, redeems us, transforms us, cleanses us, purifies us, makes us holy, as He Himself is holy.  Every time we fall into sin, God picks us up and restores us to Himself! Never does God abandon us.

Lord, may I not abandon You. May I stay close to You always, taking time out of each day to seek Your face above all, to be restored to grace, to be strengthened by You in the Eucharist, in basking in Your love in quiet time with You, in times of quiet prayer and reflection upon the Scriptures and in growing in love of my neighbor, my family members, the members of my religious community and fellow sojourners on the way to everlasting life with You. I ask this in Jesus' name! Amen!

God my Champion; Union with Jesus/God

In the first reading of today's liturgy,  Jeremiah 20: 1-13, the  prophet  cries out to the Lord: "All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. 'Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.' But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting unforgettable confusion...." Jeremiah, of course, was speaking about his own situation but also prophesying, I believe, about Jesus!  The Pharisees, the Scribes and the leaders of the Jewish people were seeking ways to trap Jesus, to find a fault for which they could, in their minds, justify having Him put to death by crucifixion. In today's Gospel, John 10: 31-42, they were convinced that they found that one thing: they accused Jesus of committing blasphemy when he said: "I am the Son of God." How, Jesus asks His accusers, "can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not perform my Father's
works, do not believe in me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." 

We know the ending of this story! Jesus is put to death by crucifixion. His denouncers, his persecutors, his executioners, to this very day, carry "utter shame," and their actions have caused "lasting unforgettable confusion" for those who do not believe that Jesus truly is God in human form who, as a human person died on the cross but rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, securing our resurrection to eternal life, as well.

Upon further reflection, I suggest that we ask ourselves the question: Who am I in these Scripture readings? In the first Scripture reading,  am I "Jeremiah" at my wit's end because my every move is being scrutinized to  to see whether or not I make a serious mistake that confirms their suspicions that I am, or have been in fact, involved in criminal activity?  Am I the "Jeremiah" who believes, beyond a doubt, that he is innocent, that God is his champion, and that his persecutors will be put to shame as he himself celebrates his exoneration? Or am I the one persecuting others, looking for something that will justify my desire that the other be brought down?  In the Gospel, am I the person looking to trap Jesus and confirm my belief that Jesus is not who He says He is?  Am I the person who does not see Jesus' works and words revealing that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father?  Am I, like Jesus, doing works and speaking words that reveal the Father in me and in the Father, Jesus in me, and me in Jesus?

Never Seeing Death (See Jn 8: 51)

Jesus says to us in today's Gospel, John 8: 51-59 that "whoever keeps my word will never see death." The Jews are perplexed by that statement and reply: "Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, 'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham , who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?'....'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM"  (the caps are mine)." The Jews are so angry that he claimed that he is the I  AM, that they tried killing him by stoning but Jesus went into hiding.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the  covenant God made with Abraham and the chosen people!  The Jews, God's chosen people, will have none of it and thus they throw stones at Jesus, hoping to kill Him.  they do not succeed at this point so they continue plotting against Him.  When later they crucify Him on Calvary,  they believe that they have, in fact, destroyed Him. As Christians, we know otherwise. Jesus overcame death. He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, when we celebrate His and our resurrection.

As Jesus overcame death, so, too, will those who keep His word, as Jesus says to us in the beginning of today's Gospel: "[W]hoever keeps my word will never see death."  Death, for those who believe in Jesus and live the Gospel way of life that Jesus modeled for us here on earth, is the gate through which we enter eternal life, our inheritance from God!

Thank you, Jesus!

Needing to be Saved

Today's first reading, Numbers 21: 4-9, the Israelites are angry about having been brought out into the desert where food and water are scarce.  In their anger, the people complain against Moses and God: "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food! In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died".

As we reflect upon this passage, let us note that the people admit their sinful behavior and ask Moses to intercede for them.  God instructs Moses to make a saraph and mount it on a pole. Anyone who has been bitten and looks at this mounted saraph will live.  This obviously reminds us of what God asks of us as well; namely, that we, too, acknowledge and/or admit our sinful behaviors to others, ask forgiveness of others and look to Jesus upon the cross for healing.

Upon further reflection, I am challenged to look at how we identify with this Scripture passage. Complaining against God and others is a common human experience--evil spirits delight in our choosing to complain. When we enter a complaining mode, we set ourselves up to sink deeper and deeper into a rut of discontent!  However, if, on the other hand, we follow the lead of good spirits and choose an attitude of gratitude, look for ways to resolve whatever the problem is, and accept our responsibility to do so, we take power away from spirits that wants us to be divisive.

May you and I become "Moses" in the world of our day and also follow the example of the Israelites in acknowledging our sinful behaviors, repenting of such and looking, not to a mounted saraph but to Jesus upon the cross to save us!

The Power of Faith

In today's first reading, Jeremiah 11: 18-20, the prophet tells us that he knew about the plot against him "because the Lord had informed" him. And  yet, he says, "I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter, had not realized that they were hatching plots against me: 'Let us destroy the tree in its vigor; let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will be spoken no more.'" 

I was reminded of the efforts being made, especially by leaders in our country today, to plot out the names and good works of persons who have gone before them. What prompts us to want to erase another's good name or good works? If we personally are doing so, we need to take notice and examine our motivations.  That being said, we know, from the Scriptures, that the scribes and Pharisees and the leaders of the people in Israel attempted to do just that concerning Jesus,  but Jesus' works and message continues to touch people deeply to this very day!  Jesus continues to transform us into the persons God desires us to be. No one attempting to destroy His message or presence will be able to do so. Good will always triumph over evil. It did in Jesus' day and it will happen in the world of today, as well!

I believe this! My belief strengthens me to strive to do good and to strive on a daily basis to bring my will into harmony with God's will! What is your belief and how does it impact your life?

Growing Close to or Distancing Oneself from God?

Today's first reading, Exodus 32: 7-14, tells us the story of the chosen people's worship of the golden calf, believing that it was through the power of this molten image that they were brought out of Egypt, where they had been treated as slaves. Concerning the molten image, Aaron says to the people: "This is your God,  O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." 

Imagine God's anger! How insulting to God, who had worked multiple wonders to free them from being slaves to the Egyptians.  How could they abandon God so quickly?  How could they turn away from Him and sacrifice to a molten image? In His anger, God says to Moses, His confidante and personal friend: "I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation." Moses intervenes! So God relents "of the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people."

To this very day, God is abandoned, turned away from, in a variety of ways.  Who, today, invites you to turn away from God, to worship false gods?

With what, I need to ask myself, do I occupy my time in such a way that I abandon building a relationship with God, nurturing my faith life, growing in love with both God and my spouse, my children, my community members?  What dominates or controls my life, to what am I a slave, to the degree that I abandon being a responsible spouse, parent, grandparent, community member, family member, priest, deacon, student, employee?

Jesus and the Father Working as One

In today's gospel, John 5: 17-30, Jesus speaks about his oneness with the Father and how the two of them work in harmony.  "'My Father is at work until now, so I am at work....Amen, amen, I say to you, the son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son.... [H]e gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.... I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.'"

One of the statements in Jesus' description of his relationship with His Father that touched me deeply is that Jesus' judgments are just because he does not seek his own will "but the will of the one" who sent Him. You and I have also been sent to earth to do the will of our Father!  Is it that our judgments are at times unjust because we are seeking to impose our own wills and are not acting in accord with the will of God for the other person? Most likely in those times, we have  not even consulted God to show us His will!  We may have simply barged ahead to dominate or control the other person!

Notice the opening statement of this Gospel passage: "My Father is at work..., so I am at work!" Do you and I approach our work in that way, with that belief and that attitude? Are you, am I, aware that, as with Jesus, the Father also wants to "show us everything that he himself does"  because of His love for us?

Wading in the Waters of Faith

In today's first reading, Ezekiel  47: 1-9, 12, and angel brought the prophet to the entrance of the temple, from which the prophet sees water flowing east from beneath its threshold.  The angel has Ezekiel wade into the water, measuring off 1000 cubits three times and each time the water gains depth until Ezekiel is unable to wade it in. The angel shows Ezekiel the produce growing by the river and tells him that this river flows into the salt waters of the Arabah, making these waters fresh, thus supporting an abundance of fish.  "Along both banks of the river," the angel says, "fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month, they shall fear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine!"

This abundance of God's gift of live is also spoken of the today's Gospel, John 5: 1-6, where, in Jerusalem at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus encounters a man who had been ill for 38 years.  Anyone who gets down to the pool while the waters are stirred up is healed. This man is too crippled to reach the pool before someone else does. Jesus says to him: "Do you want to be well?" The crippled man explains his situation and Jesus says: "Rise, take up your mat, and walk." He is made whole!

Obviously, the water flowing from the threshold of the temple and in the pool of Bethesda brings to mind the healing waters of baptism. The abundance of fruit trees that grow on the banks of the river and that never fade bring to mind the Eucharistic food with which we are fed at every Liturgy and whenever we meditate on the Scriptures and/or take time to bask in God's love in quiet prayer--all empowers us, strengthens us, restores us to health and purifies us to live the Gospel in our various vocations: marriage, religious life priesthood, single life and the diaconate!

What a glorious God!

Faith and Trust in the Living God

In today's first reading, Isaiah 65: 17-21, the Lord says to us through the prophet: "Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; for I create Jerusalem to be a  joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people."

What I believe comes to be! For instance, if I believe that I will fail, failure will be mine. On the contrary, if I believe that I shall succeed, I will succeed in some way, even if that success is how I handle failure!  Living through faith in God's power to "create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight," I will, then, experience God's power to bring good out of what I may have perceived as disaster.  We see this kind of faith at work in the royal official in today's Gospel, John 4: 43-54. The royal official asked Jesus to come down to Capernaum to heal his dying son.  At first it looked as if Jesus was dismissing him with a rebuke when he said: "Unless you  people see signs and wonders you will not believe." The royal official simply repeated his request and Jesus says to him: "You may go; your son will live" and at that moment his son began to recover.

Like the royal official,  if I live by faith,  I will not hesitate to bring my concerns to Jesus, knowing that He has the power to help me in my need, whatever that need might be. As I rely upon God to respond to my requests for help,  my thinking negatively will be changed into thinking positively. And like the royal official,  I will then experience how God delights in me and restores my faith in Him.

Lord, I pray for the faith to believe in what you create and are capable of creating.   Like the royal official, may I grow in my knowledge of who You really are: a compassionate, loving, faithful God, whose love is infinite and generously shared. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.