A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 3:31-36
(Glory to you O Lord!)
The one who comes from above is above all.
The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.
But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him.
(The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!)
Reflection: Jesus is the Son of God!
Have a you been in a situation where you were trying to help someone, by informing them of a concern that you noticed, but they refused to accept what you are saying? Like when you notice that one of the sprinklers at the front yard of a home is broken and you see water gushing up like a geyser wasting a lot of water. So you inform the owner of the problem, but they refuse to believe you, or they may even accuse you of breaking their sprinkler? Isn’t it sad when we try our best to be kind or helpful, and our efforts are rejected?
This is similar to what our Lord Jesus experienced when He proclaimed the Gospel message on the need for everyone to repent, the kingdom of God is at hand, as Jesus encourages everyone to change our ways, to love God and one another, and to follow Jesus. Because of the gift of free will every person has the ability to choose. Unfortunately, most of the Jewish elders and leaders refused to listen and follow our Lord Jesus. Most of them felt threatened by Jesus’ message of salvation and rejected His teachings. They let their pride take hold and only thought of not losing their positions in government, as the teachers, priest and elders of our Jewish brothers and sisters. They did not want to lose their place as the rulers in Jewish society,
We also have a daily choice to make at every moment of our lives. Are we listening to the call and prompting of Jesus to set aside our pride, to not be defensive when our testimony or our ideas are not accepted or rejected, to continue to speak in gentleness and humility to everyone? Are we willing to change our ways, to truly listen to one another, to choose what is holy, and to listen and follow Jesus’ ways that lead to salvation and eternal life?
Our Lord Jesus is journeying with us daily through His Spirit and He calls out to us daily. Listen and follow Jesus’ call, be aware of His daily prompting in our minds and heart, to choose to do what it holy, to be a voice of peace, reconciliation, and encouragement. Accept the mercy and peace that Jesus offers us, proclaim His messages of forgiveness of sins and salvation for all in His name. May we always remember that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life”.
Jesus is Lord! Jesus is the Son of God!
Action for the Day:
Lift up in prayer the people who are difficult to love, whether it is a family member, a neighbor, a friend or a colleague at work. Ask our Lord Jesus to continue to increase our faith, to grant us patience and the wisdom to understand how every person is loved by God, and how everyone needs to be granted the chance to be forgiven and we all have the ability to change for the good. Choose to be holy and follow our Lord Jesus!
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