Lectionary: 246
Reading 1
Isaiah 49:8-15
Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I answer you,
on the day of salvation I help you;
and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,
To restore the land
and allot the desolate heritages,
Saying to the prisoners: Come out!
To those in darkness: Show yourselves!
Along the ways they shall find pasture,
on every bare height shall their pastures be.
They shall not hunger or thirst,
nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;
For he who pities them leads them
and guides them beside springs of water.
I will cut a road through all my mountains,
and make my highways level.
See, some shall come from afar,
others from the north and the west,
and some from the land of Syene.
Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains.
For the LORD comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted.
But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18
R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Verse Before the Gospel
John 11:25a, 26
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.
Gospel
John 5:17-30
Jesus answered the Jews:
"My Father is at work until now, so I am at work."
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them,
"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,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.
"I cannot do anything on my own;
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."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Amazement and Awe
“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.” John 5:25–26
The most central and most glorious mystery of our faith is that of the Most Holy Trinity. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God yet three distinct Persons. As divine “Persons,” each one is distinct; but as one God, each Person acts in perfect union with the others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus clearly identifies the Father in Heaven as His Father and clearly states that He and His Father are one. For this reason, there were those who wanted to kill Jesus because He “called God his own father, making himself equal to God.”
The sad reality is that the greatest and most glorious truth of God’s inner life, the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, was one of the primary reasons that some chose to hate Jesus and sought His life. Clearly, it was their ignorance of this glorious truth that drove them to this hatred.
We call the Holy Trinity a “mystery,” not because they cannot be known but because our knowledge of Who They are can never be fully understood. For eternity, we will enter deeper and deeper into our knowledge of the Trinity and be “amazed” on a continually deepening level.
One additional aspect of the mystery of the Trinity is that each one of us is called to share in Their very life. We will forever remain distinct from God; but, as many of the early Church Fathers liked to say, we must become “divinized,” meaning, we must share in God’s divine life through our union of body and soul with Christ Jesus. That union also unites us with the Father and the Spirit. This truth should also leave us “amazed,” as we read in the passage above.
As we continue to read this week from the Gospel of John and continue to ponder the mysterious and profound teaching of Jesus on His relationship with the Father in Heaven, it is essential that we not simply gloss over the mysterious language Jesus uses. Rather, we must prayerfully enter the mystery and allow our penetration of this mystery to leave us truly amazed. Amazement and transforming edification is the only good response. We will never fully understand the Trinity, but we must allow the truth of our Triune God to take hold of us and enrichen us, at very least, in a way that knows how much we do not know—and that knowledge leaves us in awe.
Reflect, today, upon the sacred mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Pray that God reveals Himself more fully to your mind and more completely consume your will. Pray that you will be able to share deeply in the life of the Trinity so that you will be filled with a holy amazement and awe.
Reflection 2
By Fr. Francesc PERARNAU i Cañellas
(Girona, Spain)
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life”
Today, the Gospel speaks of the reply Jesus gives to those who do not look at Him with good eyes when He chooses to cure the disabled man on Saturday. Jesus Christ takes advantage of this criticism to emphasize His condition as God's Son, and therefore, Lord of Saturday. Words that will be used against Him the day of His trial at the High Priest Caiphas' house, when Jesus receives His condemnatory sentence. Indeed, when Jesus declares Himself to be God's Son, the High Priest cries out: “He has blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? You have now heard the blasphemy; what is your opinion?” (Mt 26:65-66).
Quite often, Jesus had referred to the Father, but in every case by establishing a distinction: God's Paternity is different whether it refers to Christ or to the other men. And the Jews who were listening to Him did understand Him very well: He was not a Son of God like the others, but the relationship He claimed for Himself is a natural filiation. Jesus affirms that His nature and His Father's are the same, despite their being different persons. He states in this way His divinity. This is a very interesting fragment of the Gospel in connection with the revelation of the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
Among the things our Lord tells us today, there are a few referring to all those that, through History, will believe in Him: to hear and to believe Jesus, is having already eternal life (cf. Jn 5:24). Certainly, it is not yet the definitive life, but we can begin sharing the promise. It is convenient for us to keep it well in mind, while we make an effort to listen to Jesus' word: The Word of God that will save us. Reading of and meditation on the Gospel must become a part of our everyday religious practices. In the revealed pages we shall hear Jesus' words, immortal words that open the doors of eternal life. In short, as Saint Ephrem taught, the Word of God is an inexhaustible source of life.
Reflection 3
By Matthew Walsh, S.J.
(St. John's Parish)
A theme that emerges for me from these readings is the importance of moms and dads. I recall a prayer that was shared with me years ago. The prayer goes something like this: The fact that my mom and dad met and loved each other, whatever the circumstances, is just a small part of the miracle of my existence. Indeed, our parents play an important part in our lives and the readings today give us opportunity to reflect on them. For most of us, it is our biological parents who lead, carry, teach and sustain us from our beginnings. As we grow, others also assist in this process, but it is our parents who are there to bring us through these tender stages to the point where we can take care of ourselves—and even take on the process of having and raising children anew.
My own parents made a great home for myself and my siblings, which included being welcomed and reverenced from the beginning of life. We were nurtured with the food we needed to grow, and with the education we needed to be successful. We also lived close to the church and parish school, where we passed many hours at Mass, classes, sports, and all the things that kids do. I still have warm feelings for the school and church-Our Lady of the Lake—and for the good people who, with my own parents, raised us in the practice of the faith…and taught us how to be good people!
I have, of course, become painfully aware that this good upbringing that my siblings and I enjoyed is not always the case. And so, the metaphors and language of mother and father in these readings can also cast a shadow of darkness and fear. Some even seek other metaphors or examples for the care and concern of the Lord.
As I reflect on the metaphors offered in the scriptures today more deeply, I see that the Lord calls me to be grateful for the good I have received through my parents, and others who have nurtured my life of faith. These are expressions of God’s love and goodness. At the same time, I realize that, as good as it is to have a loving family, I am called to go beyond the metaphors and memories of love and care. “Even should she (a mom) forget, I will never forget you.” (Is 49: 15). To me, this means that the Lord not only cares for me, but--as St. Ignatius points out in the Spiritual Exercises—never leaves me without the grace I need for salvation (Spiritual Exercises #320). What is more, the Lord always keeps me in mind, sustaining me moment by moment. The Lord’s love and care for me—and, I believe, for each person—is continuous and unconditional. The love of moms and dads is a great gift; the love the Lord gives is even deeper!
Prayers
Most holy and triune God, the love You share within Your very being of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is beyond my comprehension. The mystery of Your triune life is a mystery of the greatest degree. Draw me in, dear Lord, to the life You share with Your Father and the Holy Spirit. Fill me with wonder and awe as You invite me to share in Your divine life. Most Holy Trinity, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, increase my love for you and unite my heart and will with yours, that I may only seek and desire what is pleasing to you.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 73: Growing in Our Desire for Jesus
The more we come to know Jesus, the more we desire Him. And the more we desire Him, the more we come to know Him. This is a beautiful cyclical experience of knowing and desiring, desiring and knowing (See Diary #273).
Do you desire to know your precious Lord? Do you long for Him in a burning way? Reflect upon this desire in your soul and if it is lacking, know that it’s because you need to come to know Him more. Reflect, also, upon the ways in which you do sense a real knowledge of Jesus. What does that knowledge of Him do to you? Allow it to move from your head to your heart, and from your heart to all your affections. Allow Him to work on you, to draw you and to envelop you in His Mercy.
Lord, help me to come to know You. Help me to comprehend You in Your perfection and Mercy. And as I do come to know You, flood my soul with a longing and desire for more of You. May this desire increase my love of You and help me to know You all the more. Jesus, I trust in You.
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