The Gospel according to John (10:22-30)
The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
Reflection:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is again challenged by the Jewish leaders to tell them “plainly” if He is the Christ. I can only imagine how Jesus probably wondered what more could He do to show them. He even says in today’s reading of how He had told them, but they did not believe.
I think their response is a very “human” response – it’s normal for us human beings to want verification of something before we accept it. The problem is that we are called to go beyond mere “human” responses where God is concerned. God calls us to trust, and it can be hard, especially when it may seem that what we trust in is not apparent at all.
If life were always wonderful, we would probably discount God’s presence in bringing us those blessings. We may even think that we somehow earned them ourselves, or that we received them because we deserved them. Perhaps that is why we encounter those bumps in the road from time to time. Those show us that we are definitely not in control and that we do have to trust in the One who holds us all in His hands!
We are continuing our Easter journey, but it’s been a bit since we celebrated that joyful day. Today is a good opportunity to ask God to remind us of that joy in which we live, and that, no matter what challenges we may face each day, our loving Lord is with us and will walk with us every step of the way.
Action for the Day:
Take a quiet moment today to ask God to show you how to trust Him better, and also that He may show you how you can demonstrate His love in your day today.
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