Acts 6: 1-7,
Psalm 33: 1-2.4-5.18-19,
1 Peter 2:4-9,
John 14: 1- 12 Full Readings
Do not be troubled, trust in the Lord.
Brethren, today's Sunday Gospel reading is a combination of the Gospel of Friday and Saturday and we really reflected on many aspects of this Gospel.We saw that Jesus begins to prepare his followers for his own departure from the world. There are two aspects of this. Firstly Jesus speaks of the final purpose, union with the Father, and his preparation of a place for us there. ‘There is plenty of room’, he says, suggesting not that there are plenty of separate cubicles for different sets of people (bishops, babies, monks and maniacs), but that there is no lack of space. No problem of ‘only one wins the prize’ in this case.
Jesus is the way to this house, He speaks the truth for whatever comes from his mouth is nothing but the truth and he is the life in which we are called to share on through believing in Him.
The second aspect is preparation for the future Church on earth, and the almost shocking promise that in the absence of Jesus but in the strength of his Spirit his people will do ‘even greater works’. Paul teaches that believers ‘make up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ’, for in every age the Church fills up the measure of Christ’s sufferings; it is a Church which shares its Master’s trials. In the same way in every age the Church must carry on the works of Christ. In John the ‘works’ of Jesus are the marvelous deeds, beyond human powers, which show who Jesus is. We too are called on to perform marvelous deeds, beyond human powers, works of grace and generosity.
Today let us reflect on the remaining aspect: Don't let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God and Jesus. Why were the disciples troubled? They were troubled by the words of farewell which came from the mouth of Jesus. Jesus' time on earth was drawing near to the end and he was to return the Father. This made the disciples to be troubled about where they themselves would go if Jesus goes back to the Father. Jesus however, tells them, they have to stay and continue with the mission until he comes back and takes them to His Father's house for he had gone to prepare a place for them.
Brethren, there are many things which trouble us in this life, like: saying goodbye to friends and more so the ones who die, losing a job, no food to eat, sicknesses, no money, pandemics like Covid-19, life challenges and many other things which come to our minds and trouble us. Oftentimes we find it difficult to find solutions and even to believe they are happening. But, Jesus in a special way tells us today not to be troubled, only Believe in Him and in God and all will be well.
Oftentimes we are inclined to look for solutions elsewhere, forgetting our faithful friend Jesus, and we end up with nothing, but with Jesus, we shall always find the way out. Such challenges are sometimes a test of our faith and we really need to stand firm in faith. For instance, the present situation of Covid-19 needs nothing else but Jesus, who gives us the message of Hope that he is with us always and who will lead us through by the power of his name. We heard in the Gospel yesterday that whatever we shall ask in his name, he will give us but this requires deep faith in him and praying without ceasing.
Brethren, such challenges should be an opportunity to trust in God more, to deepen our relationship with God through prayer, reading his word, sharing the word and meditating on our Christian life. Brethren, when adversity or trouble comes your way, does it make you lose hope or give into fear and despair, or does it press you closer to the Lord Jesus and to the strength and help he offers you? When the people of Israel became discouraged and grew weary during their 40 years in the wilderness, the Lord assured them that he would personally bring them safely into the promised land and indeed he did.
The same challenges led the Apostles to spread the Good News to all the world after resurrection led by the Holy Spirit. The more they were told to stop and even persecuted, the more they continued proclaiming the risen Lord, even leaving for Gentiles which made the Gentiles very happy and in the first Reading we see how the community of believers grew and how they were concerned of others even giving them food. They took the challenges as opportunities to work more for the Lord and proclaimed his victory that the stone which was rejected has become the cornerstone as we see in the second reading.
Let us reflect today on how we respond to challenges we have in life, do they bring us closer to God or they take us far from Him. Let us ask for the Graces we need to face our daily challenges with deep faith in Jesus and a conviction that Jesus is with us.
Let us pray.
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion–inexhaustible, look Kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen.
Blessed Sunday
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