The Word God Spells

John 14: 7-14
Acts 13: 44-52 / Ps 98: 1-4

Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
(John 14: 13)

Have we been with Him all this time
And still can’t be one with the Lord?
Life’s meaning we can only find
If we believe and live His Word.

Jesus said, ‘If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. (John 14: 7-14)

Reflection

How ironic it is that hundreds of millions of Christians all over the world believe in the divinity of Jesus, Whom we had never seen, and yet His own disciples who had witnessed so many of His miracles doubted His true Nature even up to the very end of Jesus’ life. I believe it is because unlike them we have the benefit of the Bible. What is there in the Bible that is so compelling that most of us Christians do not doubt the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He and the Father are one? I believe it is by God’s grace that we have been given insight to ‘see’ spiritual things that our practical eyes can never see. That grace is given through our faith. And the Bible, which nourishes us happens to be the book of faith.

Perhaps this was what Jesus meant when He said, ”You will do greater things than these.” He probably meant our faith, which is stronger than the faith of His disciples (before His resurrection) even without the benefit of miracles. True faith is all about believing, and not seeing miraculous phenomena. It is by faith that we can perceive God’s miracles working in our lives. And it is by meditating constantly on the Bible that our faith is increased and fortified.

In one bible sharing session last Wednesday with a group of BCBP brothers, the common thread in our personal sharings was about doubt and anxiety. I was particularly moved by the sharing of one brother who said it is by living up to God’s assurance that we can accomplish great things. This is the power of faith that Jesus was talking about, and what His Father promised in Psalm 91:16: “I will show you my saving power.” Many times in our lives God has shown His love and power, and yet, ‘men of little faith’ that we are, we still doubt His divine providence and dwell in anxiety during times of crisis. Oh well, we can only say perhaps it is because our faith is still a work in progress.

How like Your apostles Philip and Thomas we sometimes behave in our faith, Lord Jesus. Thus, our constant prayer to You, Lord, is to increase our faith, so that we may always live in the light of the Father’s love, and hope in His Providence. Thank You, Lord God, for this Daily Bread that sustains our growth. Amen.

John 5: 17-30
Is 49: 8-15 / Ps 145: 8-9, 13-14, 17-18

He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent him.
(John 5:23)

Jesus is one with the Father
In purpose, honor and power;
With faith in His Word, we gather
And follow Christ, our Redeemer.

Jesus said to them, “My Father is at work to this very day, so I am at work…. I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; but only what he sees his Father doing, for what He does His Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all He does. Yes, to your amazement He will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whoever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but He has given all judgment to His Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, Who sent him. I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. . . And He has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only 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.” (John 5: 17-30)

Reflection

Three times our Lord Jesus emphasized He was telling the truth: that what He was doing was a continuation of His Father’s work. And His work of mercy extended even on the Sabbath. His miracles were enough proof of His divinity. How could One who knew that His claim of being the Son of God would mean certain death be telling a lie? When the high priest asked Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus answered, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. (Mk.14:61-64). The Jews chose to condemn Jesus for blasphemy rather than give the benefit of the doubt that He was really telling the truth.

Some religious cults, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God. That is why they are not considered as Christians but cults. The essence of Christianity is believing in the divinity of Jesus. Do you believe that by taking His Word we will “have eternal life and will not be condemned”? If you believe this, then you must also believe in the last days of the resurrection, when our bodies will rise from their graves when we hear His voice, and be joined with our souls for eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. This is one of the great mysteries of our faith, when those who follow and believe in Jesus Christ will rise again incorruptible in the last days as described by St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (1Cor.15:50-56). This is perhaps what Jesus meant when He said, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt.10:39).

All the words that you have spoken in the Gospel, Lord Jesus, are words that apply for all time. That is why we have no doubt that you are truly the Son of God, Who was sent by the Father for our salvation. Thus, we believe in the resurrection of our body, and in life everlasting. Amen.

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23
Rom 8:28-30 / Ps 13

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23)

Happy birthday, dear Mother Mary,
Our model of love and purity;
Your example of obedience be
Our guiding light to eternity.

Today we celebrate the feast of our Blessed Mother Mary’s Nativity. There is no account in the Bible about the birth of Mary or her lineage, only the lineage of Joseph, recounted in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (1-17). We come to know the names of Mary’s parents, Saints Joachim and Anna, in the apocryphal “Gospel of James”, which is not part of the approved canon of Scripture. According to this account, St. Joachim and St. Anna were already beyond the age of child-bearing, but they prayed and fasted that God would grant them a child.

In 1854, Pope Pius IX made a Formal Declaration: “The most holy Virgin Mary, in the first moment of her conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of mankind, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” This doctrine had in fact been defined as early as 431 A.D., when the Council of Ephesus, in countering the heresy of Nestorius, who taught that Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ’s human nature only, responded that persons, and not natures, are conceived and born, and that Jesus Christ is a Divine Person. The purpose of this doctrine was, and is, clearly to safeguard the Divinity of Jesus Christ. As such, it is Christ-centered, and not necessarily Mary-centered.

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, we read that St. Joseph also obeyed the Lord’s command, and took Mary into his home as his wife, but had no intimate relations with her. This is why we honor our Blessed Mother for her purity, as befits the Mother of God. It is in her honor and that of her Son, Jesus Christ, that all the members of the Catholic church heirarchy have taken the vow of chastity.

Although it is not considered a holy day of obligation, we should make this a special day by going to the Eucharistic celebration to thank God for giving us Mary, the Mediatrix of grace. As early as the twelfth century, all Christian nations have been celebrating this day as one of the major feasts of Mary. As Catholics we must give this day the importance it deserves. After all, the birth of Mary is second only in importance to the birth of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord God, the day of our salvation came when the Blessed Virgin gave birth to Your Son. As we celebrate her own birth today, grant us Your grace and Your peace. This we pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Luke 9: 28-36
Dn 7:9-10.13-14 / Ps 97 / 2 Pt 1:16-19

While He was praying His face changed in appearance…
(Luke 9:29)

Lord God, we believe that all of us
Must undergo a transformation,
Endure the hardships, climb the heights, just
Like Jesus’ own transfiguration.

Jesus took Peter, John and James with Him, and went up on the mountain to pray. As he was praying, His countenance changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. The apostles, who were resting after the long trek, awoke and saw Jesus in His glory, with Moses and Elijah conversing with Him. They spoke about His departure, which would happen in Jerusalem. As they were about to leave, Peter told Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what he was saying, when suddenly, a cloud came and overshadowed them. They were terrified as a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Chosen Son; listen to him!” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.

Reflection

The transfiguration narrative found in the three synoptic gospels presaged the passion and death of our Lord Jesus, and it happened as much for the benefit of His closest apostles as well as for His own divine assurance and fortification. The presence of Moses and Elijah on the mountain with Jesus affirmed His mission as the culmination of the Law and the Prophets, which these two figures represented. They fortified His human will to face the torment of Calvary according to the Father’s plan. Thus, when He had completed His mission, just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples: “Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets must be fulfilled” (Lk. 24:44).

The Transfiguration was the most powerful evidence of Jesus’ divinity, which served to convince His inner circle once and for all that His mission was not political. Their presence in the mountaintop with Moses and Elijah gave them hope that someday they would also reach the heights of the divine dwelling. Over time, the followers of Jesus would come to realize by the grace of this experience that God had to become man in order for human beings to become divine, and be likewise “transfigured”. Peter had a taste of this ‘rapture’ and wanted to stay in the mountain longer.

Last Saturday, most of the participants of our Christian Life Program #19 also had a whiff of this ethereal experience during the seminar’s Baptism in the Holy Spirit. At first the spiritual experience made them feel awkward or embarrassed (like Peter, who did not know what he was saying). But later on, as they discarded all inhibitions, some of them received the gift of tongues, and others succumbed to tears of joy. We are all assured that we will keep on growing in the Spirit after that ‘experience on God’s mountain’.

Thank You, Father, for the spiritual experience of discovering that we too can experience the divine. Grant us the grace to endure the long trek that we must take in order to reach our own transfiguration. We love Your heights, but it is in the plains where we must prove our worth, and work for Your kingdom. Amen.

John 17: 1-11
Acts 20:17-27 / Ps 68:10-11,20-21

Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.
(John 17:11)

Live what we preach, God’s Word proclaim,
By words and deeds that testify
Our unity in Jesus’ Name,
By Whom our God is glorified.

Jesus looked up to heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And I have been glorified in them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.”

Reflection

The sacrament of the mass was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ when He shared His last supper with His apostles just before His passion and death on the cross. The Holy Eucharist of the mass is the most important of all the seven sacraments not only because we receive the Body of Christ in its celebration, but because through it we are unified with God and with each other.

As we line up for Holy Communion and sing the song, “We Are One Body”, let us pray to the Father for that unity that our Church is still striving to achieve with other Christians. This moving song is actually a reminder of our brokenness, and what makes this divisiveness more painful is that most of us have become complacent about it. We have come to accept this status quo, and perhaps because of this, the brokenness in our Church has led to other forms of division, like divorce and abortion.

Jesus knew the importance of unity in His flock, and specifically asked the Father to protect the unity of his followers and guard it against division. The primary goal of the enemy is division – to separate us from God. We cannot claim unity with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father if we are not one with each other. Our fellowship with God depends on our unity, as much as on our witnessing — to be one “so that the world may believe” that Jesus is from God (John 17:21).

Father God, help our Church achieve the unity of faith that all Christians sorely need. The forces of darkness draw strength from the division of Your people. Let our calling be not only to proclaim Your reconciliation but also to live it. Amen.

John 6: 30-35
Acts 7:51–8:1 / Ps 31

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
(John 6:35)

Who puts our Lord Jesus Christ first
Will never go hungry or thirst.
If we must seek true life instead,
We’ll find it in the Living Bread.

The Jews said to Jesus, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’

Reflection

The Jews kept asking for a sign from Jesus, despite the fact that He had already fed more than five thousand of them (with 12 baskets left over) from five loaves and two fish. It seems that the previous miracle had not been enough proof of His divinity, but had only whetted their appetite for more exciting displays of power. Like their ancestors who received manna from heaven everyday during their sojourn in the desert, they wanted Him to “give us this bread always.”

Like those Jews in Jesus’ time who were only thinking about their physical needs, there are still many people today who only seek to satisfy their hunger for food and other material needs, but neglect the more important needs of their famished souls. Everytime we take a stroll in the mall near our home, we notice that almost all the restaurants and fast food chains are packed with people. The same can be said in practically all the other malls we go to. Filipinos are a food-loving people. But they say Filipinos are also a very religious people — in fact the only predominant Christian nation in Asia. So how come our churches are not as packed with people like our restaurants on any day except Sunday? Is Sunday the only time we can receive the Bread of Life, Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world?

God created us to receive not only mere physical nourishment, but more importantly, to be sustained by His Spirit as well. As Jesus Himself said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Mt.4:4) This nourishment can only come from regularly reading and reflecting on the Word of God, and receiving the Bread of Life.

Nothing nourishes more than You, Lord Jesus, in Your Eucharist, and in Your Word. Let me receive You always, to be sanctified by Your Spirit, and be inspired and strengthened for the work ahead. Thank You, Father for our Daily Bread. Amen.