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Let your door stand open to receive God, unlock your soul to Him, offer Him a welcome in your mind, and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand before the sun of the everlasting light.
- Ambrose
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Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
Jn 8:31-42
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”
They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”
So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who sent His angel to deliver the servants that trusted in Him.” —Daniel 3:95
In eleven days, the Lord will call us to renew our baptismal promises. In every Catholic church in the world, at every Mass on Easter Sunday, the Lord will challenge us to answer “I do” to six questions. If God has His way, this will be the greatest act of faith we have ever made in our lives. Even if we have totally committed our lives to the Lord previously, He is not calling us to rerun the past. After all the
love the Lord has poured out on us since last Easter, we should have a deeper, stronger faith than ever before.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego made the greatest act of faith in their lives when they refused to worship the golden statue and were thrown into the fiery furnace (Dn 3:12ff). This Easter Sunday we also can make the greatest act of faith in our lives. Jesus is preparing us for this great event by speaking His Word to us, for faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rm 10:17). The Holy
Spirit is working to produce the gift and fruit of faith in us (1 Cor 12:9; Gal 5:22) by convicting us of our sins (Jn 16:8). Our heavenly Father is loving us into a deeper faith by faithfully providing for our basic needs. If we let God work, He will produce a masterpiece of faith this Easter.
Prayer: Father, may I let You father me. May I not try to control, insure, or protect my life.
Promise: “If you live according to My teaching, you are truly My disciples; then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” —Jn 8:31-32
Praise: “My trust is in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God’ ” (Ps 31:15).
Presentation Ministries
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Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
- by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publ., 1986.
35. Go the Extra Mile
If anyone wants to go to law over your shirt, hand him your coat as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him two miles (Matthew 5:40-41).
Which businesses are we most likely to patronize: those that do only what is expected and no more, or those that throw in a few extras and bend over backward to keep us satisfied? The second, of course. Going the extra mile is not an irrelevant spiritual discipline, it’s a practical suggestion for success in any field.
The spiritual life is filled with paradoxes, and one of the greatest is that it is in giving that we receive. “The measure you measure with will be measured back to you,” said Jesus (in Luke 6:38). “Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, these cannot be separated. The effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, and the fruit is already in the seed,” explained Og Mandino in The Greatest Miracle in the World.
Only disquietude and turmoil arise from the attitude that asks, “What’s in it for me?” Sooner or later, disappointment and hard feelings will come to all who seek involvements for what they can receive rather than what they can give.
But peace and freedom arise from the attitude that asks, “How can I help?” If one’s services are not wanted or appreciated, one’s response to this question will be, “Fine, I’ll move along and find a place where I can make myself useful.” If one’s services are desired, dynamic involvement will then become a reality.
Suggested Practices
- Look upon your work as an opportunity to serve and you will experience new and exciting rewards. Do more than is expected of you and you will be given opportunities denied those who do only enough to get by.
- Ask yourself often: “How can I be helpful?” Listen to your heart for the answer, and then go the extra mile.
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