Daily Reflection – Mar 15, 2018
Thursday 15 March 2018
First Reading: EX 32:7-14
Responsorial Psalm:
Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
PS 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
Gospel Reading: JN 5:31-47
Today’s Note: Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Gospel Reading:
Jesus said to the Jews:
“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John’s.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?”
Reflection:
Even they testify on my behalf. (John 5:39)
Imagine you were alive in the early first century. Would you have believed that Jesus was the Son of God? You probably would have wanted some evidence.
That’s precisely what Jesus gave his listeners in today’s Gospel—evidence. He shared four “signs” that point to his divinity: human testimony, miracles, the Father’s affirmation, and the Scriptures.
How about us? Truth be told, we often need evidence to help us in our faith. And God is more than willing to give it to us. He loves helping us believe that it’s all true: that Jesus is God’s Son, that he loves us and poured himself out for us on the cross, and that he’s offering us eternal life.
Actually, God is constantly sending us signs. We can see them every time we attend Mass: in our fellow parishioners, in the miracle of our own love for the Lord, in the Liturgy of the Word, and in the Eucharist. But beyond Mass, God gives us signs in the ordinary routines of our day-to-day lives. We just have to open our eyes, and the Spirit will help us see them.
For instance, if you are reading the Mass readings today, and just one line or one word jumps out at you, that’s evidence that the Lord is at work in you. He is sending you a message, just for you!
If you wake up with the thought that you should try to befriend a coworker who rubs you the wrong way, that’s evidence that the Holy Spirit is changing your heart.
If you go out of your way to do something special for a loved one today, that’s a sign of God’s presence. He’s making you more like Jesus, who is endlessly generous and kind.
Even your desire to pray and read this magazine today points to Jesus risen and active in your life.
Today, try to see the signs that God will be sending you. And even if you can’t find anything specific, remember that he has already sent the greatest of signs—Jesus—to live with you. He has already given you the most moving of signs of his love: his cross.
“Jesus, open my eyes to see the signs that point to you.”
