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Message of the Day
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Energy apparently increases with
the amount of work to be done. When nothing of burning urgency is waiting, it decreases much sooner. Heaven seems to understand such economy.
- Edith Stein
(Trust that you will have what you need when you need it if you are undertaking a work of love.)
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Readings of the Day
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Is 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9, 13cd-14,
17-18
Jn 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."
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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Jesus “was speaking of God as His own Father, thereby making Himself God’s equal.” —John 5:18
When we renew our baptismal promises at Easter, we will state that Jesus is God, the Lord, the uniquely begotten, eternally begotten Son of God (see Mk 14:61-62).
If Jesus is God and if God the Father is God, does that mean that there is more than one God? If not, are Jesus and the Father part of God but not God individually? But if each one is God, doesn’t that make two gods? How
can three Persons be one God? Isn’t the Trinity a denial of monotheism? It is not easy to answer these questions. They can seem illogical, but they are trans-logical. They are not contradictory; they are mystery.
Jesus began to reveal His divinity and the Trinity when He said:
“The Son cannot do anything by Himself — He can
do only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise” (Jn 5:19).
“Everything the Father does He shows Him” (Jn 5:20).
“Just as the Father raises the dead and grants life, the Son grants life to those to whom He wishes” (Jn 5:21).
“The Father Himself judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all men may honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (Jn 5:22-23).
“Just as the Father possesses life in Himself, so has He granted it to the Son to have life in Himself” (Jn 5:26).
Only by grace can we renew our
baptismal promises by believing in Jesus’ divinity and the Trinity. Accept this great grace.
Prayer: Father, give me “great faith” (see Mt 15:28).
Promise: “I will never forget you.” —Is 49:15
Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part Three, Gift of the Spirit Chapter 3: The Coming of the
Spirit - Selected quotes
Early Outpourings
There are two accounts in the New Testament of the initial outpouring of the Spirit; one in John’s Gospel, the other in Acts. In John’s
Gospel, the Spirit is breathed upon the Apostles in his first resurrection appearance to them. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, “Peace be with you”, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” After saying this he breathed on
them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained” (Jn. 20:19-23). Here we see the disciples gathered and waiting, and we see Jesus imparting the Spirit to empower them as witnesses. This isn’t really so different from the Acts account, which presumes a longer period of time between
the resurrection and Pentecost. The differences in the accounts are real, however, and are the sort of thing that critics of Christianity like to harp on. Did the Spirit come right after the resurrection or weeks later? Both accounts cannot be correct on this point.
Well, maybe, but maybe not. It’s possible that Jesus breathed the Spirit upon the Apostles when he
appeared to them, but that the fullness of the gift became known to them later, at Pentecost. It’s also possible that the author of John is not as concerned about historical chronology as Luke (the author of Acts), and that John is completing the teaching on the Holy Spirit we reflected upon in chapter 2 with this action of Jesus. Biblical scholars have much to say about these kinds of questions, but we’ll leave them aside in favor of emphasizing the fact that the Spirit was
given, as Jesus had promised, and this marked the beginning of the Christian religion.
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