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.