18-Mar-15

Gospel 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.”
Reflection:
For me, the key to today's gospel passage and the key to a fulfilled life are set forth in this statement by Jesus: "I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
Like Jesus, we "seek."
We seek when we pray. We seek when we serve. We seek when we study scripture or reflections like this one. We are always seeking to get closer to God.
Saint Augustine says, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in God."
And why are our hearts restless? Because our loving Father, through the Holy Spirit, is constantly beckoning us to seek to be in union with Him.
Since days gone by, He has called to us and guided us through the words of the prophets of old: "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
But these words from Micah are not meant to simply be concepts. They are a summons from God for me to change my life.
"To act justly" I need to act so that those less fortunate may enjoy the same blessings that I so often take for granted.
"To love mercy" I need to resist my natural human tendency to find fault and see the worst in others and to extend to my brothers and sister the same mercy that I hope for from God.
"To walk humbly" I need to recognize the reality that all that I am and all that I do is only possible through the grace of God.
I learn about the need for justice, mercy and humility from those whom we serve for Christ.
Today, along with students and staff from Barrington Christian Academy, I delivered furniture to Heather, the mother of four year old Justin, and a week away from giving birth to her daughter, Kala.
Heather, Justin and unborn Kala, live in Fall River, in a small third floor apartment. They have been there for six weeks, sleeping on a mattress on the floor. They had no kitchen table or chairs.
Today, just before we left Heather's apartment, one of the students, Aryanna (a first time volunteer) handed Heather a crucifix and told her, "We're just the delivery people, this is the man who sent you the furniture."
Both Heather and Aryanna, "shined like a lamp on a lamp stand" and drew me closer to Christ.
"I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” John 6:38