Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus reminds the disciples that He reveals the Father in His life and His works. As disciples of Christ, we are called to follow Jesus in our words and actions, so others will see God is us. Jesus promises that if we believe in Him, He will do great works through us and this will give the Father glory.
I often have great compassion for the disciples as I read the stories from the gospel. They are trying so hard to listen and follow Jesus, and yet there are times when you can hear the exasperation in Jesus’ voice as he responds to their questions. Philip asks Jesus “show us the Father,” and Jesus says, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” As I place myself in Philip’s shoes, I suspect Philip still does not understand what Jesus is trying to say. Jesus goes on further to explain that God the Father speaks through Jesus, and the works that Jesus does are from the Father as well. Jesus then goes even further to explain that those who believe in Him will do even greater works once Jesus returns to the Father. Jesus promises that if we ask in His name, He will do it, so that “the Father may be glorified in the Son.” These are amazing promises!
How can we be people who others see God in our words and actions? I believe we must go to the source. Prayer and scripture are ways that we can come to know Jesus. In the recent past, I listened to a podcast that suggested doing Lectio Divina (spiritual reading) in a slightly different style than I have previously heard. This comes from the scripture scholar Fr. Daniel Harrington. You read the scripture and then reflect on these four questions:
Reading-What does the text say?
Meditation- What does the text say to me?
Prayer- What do I want to say to God through this text?
Contemplation/ Action- What difference might this text make in my life?
This holy reading certainly provides inspiration to help us know Jesus (and therefore the Father) much better. As we pray and reflect we can begin to know what God is like and how God wants us to be. Yet it is essential to realize that we cannot do this on our own. God sends down His Spirit, so God’s words and actions can live through us. When we ask something in the name of Jesus, we are asking the Holy Spirit to move through us to bring about God’s will through our surrender to Him. Jesus shows us that surrendering to God the Father allows the Father to speak and act through Jesus. We are asked to do the same.
As followers of Christ, we are called to be living signs of the presence of God. We are people who are still imperfectly living the call however, through God’s Spirit and His Word we hopefully can give glimmers of God’s hope and love to the world around us.
Loving Father, You are one with Jesus and the Spirit, and you call us to join you in this sharing of love. May Your Spirit live in us and may we find guidance through Your Word (Jesus) so that we can share in this communion with you. May our lives give you glory! We pray this through Christ our LORD. Amen.
—Marylynn Herchline